Industry news
Death toll rises at Pakistan site
Posted Tue, 07 Feb 2012
Rescuers at a collapsed medicine factory in Pakistan have found 18 bodies so far.
A gas explosion at the Lahore site caused the factory to collapse after it had been shut down by government officials three times in the past. Ministers said they closed the factory because it had been built illegally, however it opened again after each closure.
Now rescuers are still searching for 30 people who are so far unaccounted for. Aside from those who have lost their lives, rescuers have managed to save 13 people.
The narrow streets surrounding the factory have hindered rescuers, seeing them struggle to get the right machinery on-site. Rizwan Naseer, head of the state-run rescue service in Punjab province, said factory records show that at the time of the incident there were around 60 people inside.
Copyright Press Association 2012