SHEIKHUPURA: A worker was killed and two others suffered burns in a factory fire here on Sunday night on Lahore Road near Tibba Rehmat.

A number of labourers were working in the machinery room of a leather factory. Suddenly a fire erupted owing to short circuiting and it engulfed the entire room. As a result Faisal, a resident of Dera Ghazi Khan, and two others sustained critical burns and they were shifted to a Lahore hospital.

The duty doctor pronounced Faisal dead while Hanif and Gulzar were said to be critical.

Labour union president Mian Anwar condemned the incident and alleged that it was the result of improper facilities in the machinery room. Fire extinguishers had been dysfunctional for the last several months while other safety arrangements were never made, he said.

After the incident, neither the owner nor the factory manager reportedly visited the spot. Further investigation is under way.

POLICE CLUELESS: A Division police could not find clue to two suspects who allegedly fired on a woman and her two children some days back.

Khadija Bibi told the media on Sunday said that she and her two sons were walking in the street when two men opened fire but they remained unhurt.

She alleged that she received a [anonymous] threatening call, asking for settlement of some monetary dispute her husband had with the caller.

She said A Division police had registered a case on her complaint.

Published in Dawn, December 4th, 2017