HARIPUR: A teenage factory worker was crushed to death after falling in the raw material separating machine at a local paper mill, police and labour department sources told newsmen here on Sunday.

The labour department officials swung into action and sealed theindustry for poor safety measures. Hattar police said that workers of night shift were busy in routineproduction at Qirtas Papers Mill in Hattar Industrial Estate when one of a teenage driver of a mini truck that transports the raw material to a separating machine before final productfell asleep. His other colleague failed to notice that the young driver was sleeping on the pile of raw material and transported the material to the separating machine causing instant death of young worker.

The accident was so severe that the body of the worker was recovered in a mutilated shape after some time and was shifted to RHC Kot Najibullah, police and hospital sources told newsmen.

The deceased was identified as 19-year-old Shan Haider, a resident of Shorkot in Jhang district.

Acting on a complaint filed by Tahir Amin, general secretary of the Insaf Labour Wing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Abdul Wahab, divisional vice president of the Insaf Labour Wing, deputy director labour Sardar Abdul Rehman visited the site. After reviewing the circumstances of the accident, he ordered sealing of the mill’s main production department, citing inadequate occupational safety measures.

When contacted, the deputy director labour confirmed that the young driver had died as a result of the accident. He clarified that the deceased was employed by a third-party contractor rather than being a direct employee of the factory. However, the factory management has been directed to provide compensation to the victim’s heirs.

Published in Dawn, June 8th, 2026