Pakistan factory explosion leaves at least 18 workers dead

At least 18 workers were killed and 21 injured after an explosion ripped through a glue-making factory in eastern Pakistan on Friday.

The explosion was caused by a gas leak in the Malikpur industrial area of Faisalabad, a city in the Punjab province, at about 5am local time on Friday, local administrator Raja Jahangir Anwar said.

Police said they had arrested the factory’s manager and were searching for the owner, who fled shortly after the explosion.

The explosion damaged at least seven houses nearby and sparked panic in the area, Mr Anwar said.

The blast “completely flattened” the factory, Mr Anwar said, adding that rescuers spent hours pulling bodies and survivors out of the rubble.

Many of the injured were in critical condition.

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Footage showed rescue workers recovering bodies from the wreckage. Several factory buildings appeared severely damaged, with burnt vehicles and debris scattered about.

An investigation was underway, local police official Mohammad Aslam said.

Punjab chief minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif expressed her condolences and directed authorities to ensure the best possible medical care for the injured.

The explosion was initially attributed to a faulty boiler but Mr Anwar’s office later confirmed it was caused by a gas leak.

There was no boiler at the industrial site, home to four factories in Malikpur, they clarified.

“A fire erupted in one of the factories due to gas leakage, and engulfed the other factories as well,” the office said in a statement, noting that a rescue operation to retrieve the workers had been completed.

Rescuers pulled 18 bodies from the rubble, increasing the death toll from the initial 10 reported by emergency services.

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More than 20 ambulances and fire tenders took part in the rescue operation, which was supervised by the district emergency officer.

Authorities said they had set up a five-member inquiry committee to investigate the cause of the gas leak and assess responsibility.

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

In 2024, nearly a dozen workers were injured in a boiler explosion at a textile mill in Faisalabad. Just last week, a blast at a firecrackers factory in the port city of Karachi killed four people.