Twisted metal, broken bricks and burned debris mark the ruins of a chemical factory in Malikpur, Faisalabad. Photo: Online
FAISALABAD:
A powerful explosion at a chemical factory in Faisalabad’s Malikpur area sparked a massive fire on Friday and caused ten nearby houses to collapse, killing at least 20 people and injuring seven others, emergency services said.
The explosion, which occurred early in the morning at a factory producing adhesives near the Kabaddi Stadium in Shahab town, was heard across the city. Flames quickly devastated the factory and spread to adjacent structures, causing the roofs and walls of nearby homes to collapse and trapping entire families under the rubble.
The victims include women, children, elderly residents and factory workers.
1,122 rescue teams, supported by heavy machinery and 150 personnel, recovered the bodies and survivors during a ten-hour operation supervised by District Emergency Officer (DEO) Engineer Ehtisham Wahla. A total of 31 emergency vehicles were deployed on site.
Meanwhile, traffic police kept the road to Allied Hospital clear while the dead and injured were transported. The district administration imposed a state of emergency at the two allied hospitals and summoned senior doctors.
According to authorities, the victims included 10 members of two families. Among those who died were Fakhra Bibi, 42, her three young children Jannat, Maham and Ali Husnain, as well as Maqsooda Bibi, 62, her husband Muhammad Shafiq, their son Muhammad Irfan and several children from neighboring households.
The youngest victims were only one, two, three and four years old.
Among the injured were Riffat Bibi (32), Younis (65), Moazzam (17), Liaqat (55), Ahsan (30), Nadeem (16) and Ashraf (15).
Rescue workers said breathing became difficult during the operation due to chemical vapors, forcing responders to use masks.
Deputy Commissioner Faisalabad, Captain (right) Nadeem Nisar, SSP Operations Nasser Mahmood Bajwa, Traffic Chief and SP Madina Town supervised the rescue efforts at the site. Residents of Malikpur also joined emergency teams to clear the rubble and provide assistance to the victims.
Reacting to the tragedy, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq expressed deep sadness over the tragedy and sought a detailed report from Faisalabad Commissioner Raja Jahangir Anwar.
They ordered a thorough investigation into the explosion.
According to the FIR lodged at Mansoorabad police station, sub-inspector Ahtisham Abbas said that during a patrol, he received a call about the blast.
Arriving at the scene, he found the factory and nearby houses demolished and the victims trapped. Residents were already trying to evacuate people until rescue teams arrived.
The FIR alleges that factory owner Qaiser Chughtai, manager Bilal Ali Imran and five employees were repeatedly warned about storing “dangerous chemicals and highly flammable materials” in a container near a populated area.
Residents had filed several complaints, fearing a major disaster.
Police said the owners ignored warnings and continued storing dangerous chemicals until the container exploded, killing 20 people and injuring seven.
A case has been registered under sections 302, 324, 336B, 440, 147, 149, section 3/4 of the Explosives Act and 7-ATA. Police have launched a search for the owner, manager and employees of the factory named in the FIR.
