LAHORE: Three people, including a minor, were killed and four others injured in a boiler explosion in Township on Monday.

Kashif, 30, Bilal, 15, Abdul Reman alias Ahmed, 8, Yasir, 15, Zulfiqar, 20, Nafees, 20, and Nadeem, 6, were injured when steam-boiler used for pressing cloth exploded in Razz Heights Plaza at Girja Chowk, Township.

The injured were taken to Jinnah Hospital by locals where Kashif, Bilal and Ahmed succumbed to their wounds and others were said to be stable.

Factory worker Faisal Iqbal told Dawn that the boiler exploded due to high steam pressure. He said no boiler engineer was present at the time. Panic ensued in the area and a number of people rushed to the factory.

He said doors and window panes of the adjacent shops and a residential colony were also damaged.

He said the boiler pierced the roof and entered a first-floor shop of a three-floor plaza, injuring five embroidery workers.

Iqbal said Rescue 1122 responded late and they took the injured to hospital.

A resident, Ishfaq, said the owner had illegally been running a cloth pressing factory for the last six years in the residential colony. He said no one inspected the factory.

He said the area people had time and again complained to the district administration to seal the factory or shift it outside the residential colony but to no avail.

Township police have registered a case under section 322 of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) against plaza owner Naveed.

Published in Dawn, May 26th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play