Deadly blast at Pakistan glue factory claims 20 lives

At least 20 people were killed and seven others injured after a powerful steamer explosion, reportedly caused by a gas leak, ripped through a glue manufacturing factory in Faisalabad, Pakistan, on Friday morning. The blast occurred at the Crystal Chemical Factory in the Malikpur area and was so intense that it flattened four nearby industrial units and destroyed or severely damaged nine residential houses in the surrounding area, according to Dawn.

Rescue teams and police rushed to the site and shifted the injured and deceased to the burn unit of Allied Hospital in Faisalabad, where three victims were reported to be in critical condition. Officials said the victims included men, women and children. Crime scene units and forensic experts examined the site as part of the investigation, while the factory owner and senior administrative staff allegedly went into hiding for several hours after the explosion.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif expressed grief over the loss of lives in Pakistan’s Punjab province and extended condolences to the affected families, while seeking a detailed report from Commissioner Raja Jahangir Anwar. The commissioner later formed a five-member inquiry committee to investigate the cause of the blast and determine responsibility. Labour organisations strongly criticised the authorities, saying government failure to enforce industrial safety regulations had allowed factory owners to operate in hazardous conditions that endangered both workers and nearby residents.

Police in Faisalabad, Pakistan, later arrested the factory owner and registered a case under multiple sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act, the Pakistan Penal Code and the Explosive Substances Act. Several factory officials and workers were also taken into custody. The police said that residents had repeatedly warned the factory management about the dangerous storage of flammable chemicals on the premises, but those warnings were ignored.

The explosion caused the roofs of multiple factories and nearby homes to collapse, trapping several people under debris. Authorities confirmed that 20 people died in the incident and seven others were injured, as investigations continue into the cause of the deadly explosion and accountability for the tragedy.