A boiler at a glue-making factory in eastern Pakistan exploded on Friday, killing at least 18 people and injuring 21 others. The force of the blast destroyed the factory building and damaged several nearby homes, igniting a huge fire and spreading panic through the area, officials said.

Police said they arrested the factory manager and were looking for the factory owner, who fled shortly after the explosion at the industrial facility in Faisalabad, a city in Punjab province.

The cause of the explosion was not immediately known, according to Punjab police chief Usman Anwar. Police later said a gas leakage may have caused it.

It was not clear how many of the 18 dead were factory workers and how many were local residents. Earlier reports said at least 15 workers were killed.

Local administrator Raja Jahangir said an investigation was under way to determine how construction permits allowed the factory to be built in a residential area of Faisalabad, in violation of building laws.

The explosion “completely flattened” the factory, Jahangir said, adding that rescuers spent hours pulling bodies and survivors out of the rubble. Several of the injured were in critical condition.

Witnesses said the blast was so powerful that it collapsed nearby homes and hurled debris across the streets.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif expressed her condolences and ordered authorities to ensure the best possible medical care for the injured.

Muhammad Iqbal, one of the injured at the local hospital, said it felt “like an earthquake” and that “roofs and walls of nearby houses collapsed”. He said his wife and son were also injured, but they were in a stable condition.

Nadeem Zafar, 45, said he rushed out of his home after hearing a deafening boom and described the scene of chaos that ensued.

“I saw flames and thick smoke rising,” he said over the phone. “People were screaming, running in every direction, calling for help.”

Ambulances and rescuers arrived quickly and began pulling bodies out of the rubble in the Malikpur neighbourhood, he said, adding that many around him initially thought it was a bomb or some sort of projectile.

Poor safety standards are a frequent cause of industrial accidents and factory fires in Pakistan.

Last year, 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.

Source: Associated Press

--Agencies