A boiler at a glue-making factory in eastern Pakistan exploded on Friday, killing at least 15 workers and injuring seven others. Police said they arrested the factory manager and were looking for the factory owner, who fled shortly after the blast.
The cause of the explosion at the industrial facility in Faisalabad, a city in Punjab province, was not immediately known.
The blast also badly damaged the factory building and nearby homes, set off a fire at the factory and spread panic through the area, local administrator Raja Jahangir said.
An investigation was underway, according to local police official Mohammad Aslam. Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif expressed her condolences and ordered authorities to ensure the best possible medical care for the injured.
Poor safety standards are a frequent cause of industrial accidents and factory fires in Pakistan. In 2024, a dozen workers were injured in a similar boiler explosion at a textile mill in Faisalabad. Also last week, a blast at a firecrackers factory in Pakistan's port city of Karachi killed four people.
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