Cylinder blast killed 12 people in Lahore

Cylinder blast killed 12 people in Lahore

An explosion caused by a LPG cylinder at a small factory in Lahore killed 12 people. The blast took place at perfume factory in Imamia colony- Shahdara. When the cylinder exploded – the factory caught fire and as the result of fire the building collapsed.

The cylinder burst when workers were busy working in the factory. The blast caused huge fire that engulfed a nearby house too.  The roofs of both houses and perfume factory collapsed later.  

The dead also included two women, four children, and the owner of the perfume factory. The injured were shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment after being rescued from the rubble. Officials identified the deceased as factory owner Malik Abid, 65-year old Zahid Fazal, 55 year-old Rashida, 6 year-old Areeba, and two 9 year-olds, Musa and Naveed. 

Rescue officials have cleared the area surrounding the factory. 10 vehicles of the rescue services were used to douse the fire, sources said, as efforts were underway to clear the debris from the site. 

Despite several incidents at factories set up in the residential areas and announcements made by the government to shift the industrial units from residential areas- the hundreds of illegal factories are still working in residential areas. 

The district administration in Lahore has so far failed to shift the factories in the industrial areas. This area in Lahore is known for making low cost cheap cosmetics and perfumes at small units. These small factories are working in the densely populated areas.

The violation of laws and criminal negligence of local administration cost 12 lives. No lesson really learnt from past incidents and loss of human lives.  

                                                               Shah Nawaz Khan