Boiler explosion at glue factory kills 18 in Pakistan

Police said the factory manager had been arrested, while the owner fled the scene shortly after the explosion and remained at large. The exact cause of the blast was not immediately known, but Punjab police chief Usman Anwar said preliminary findings suggested a gas leak may have triggered it.

Authorities have yet to confirm how many of the 18 fatalities were factory employees and how many were residents of the surrounding neighborhood. Earlier reports indicated that at least 15 workers were among the dead.

Local administrator Raja Jahangir said an inquiry had been launched into how the glue factory was allowed to operate in a residential area of Faisalabad, in violation of building and zoning laws. He said the explosion “completely flattened” the structure, and rescuers worked for hours to pull victims from the rubble. Several of the injured were reported to be in critical condition.

Witnesses described scenes of devastation. Muhammad Iqbal, who was injured along with his wife and son, said the blast “felt like an earthquake,” with roofs and walls of nearby homes collapsing. Another resident, Nadeem Zafar, said he saw flames and thick smoke rising as people ran through the streets in panic.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif expressed condolences and directed authorities to provide the best possible care for the wounded.

Industrial accidents remain common in Pakistan, where poor safety standards and lax enforcement contribute to frequent factory fires and explosions. In 2024, a similar boiler blast at a Faisalabad textile mill injured a dozen workers, and just last week, four people were killed in an explosion at a firecrackers factory in Karachi, reports UNB.