Factory collapses in Pakistan, takes 18 lives
At least 18 people have been killed and dozens of others injured in a factory collapse in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore.
The deadly incident occurred on Wednesday at a three-storey polythene bag factory in the Sundar industrial estate, located about 45 kilometers (30 miles) southwest of the city center.
According to authorities, up to 150 people are believed to be trapped under the rubble.
Rescue operation has been underway at the site with rescue workers digging for survivors with construction equipment. Seventy-five injured people have been recovered so far.
"All our rescue workers are on site but it is such a big incident that we have called rescue workers from other nearby districts," said Jam Sajjad Hussain, a spokesman for the rescue services.
A military spokesman, meanwhile, announced in a text message that the army is deploying urban search-and-rescue teams to the scene.
“Army engineers have been immediately moved for the rescue operation,” the message read.
The cause of the deadly incident is still unclear, although the owner of the building had been constructing a fourth storey.
“We told the owner to build additional pillars before beginning the fourth floor but he took no notice of it,” a laborer told GEO News TV.
Pakistan is known for having a poor safety record in the construction and maintenance of buildings as developers frequently break building codes.
Last year, a mosque caved in in Lahore, taking at least 24 lives. Over 200 people were also killed as their roofs collapsed following torrential rainfall and flooding in 2014.
The Wednesday collapse came over a week after a powerful earthquake struck Pakistan, killing 273 people and damaging about 75,000 houses in the country.
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