WORLD
Lahore factory collapse death toll reaches 31
Baku, November 6 AZERTAC
Rescue crews continued digging through the rubble of a horrifying factory collapse in Sunder Estate, with the death toll standing at 31.
According to Pakistan Herald, At least 102 survivors have already been pulled from the debris of the four-storey Rajput Polyester polythene bag factory near Lahore after it came crashing down on Wednesday evening, trapping dozens of people inside.
But hopes were fading for anyone left alive as rescuers scrabbled through the debris.
It was unclear how many people were in the building when it collapsed or how many — dead or alive — may still be trapped, but officials have said at least 150 people were in the factory when it came down.
Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said the factory may have suffered structural damage in the October 26 quake which killed almost 400 people across Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Investigators are looking for evidence of negligence on the part of the owner of the factory or the government department responsible for regulating industrial activities.
On Wednesday, a witness said, workers again expressed their fears to the factory owner, but he took them inside the building to show that their apprehensions were unfounded.
At least 24 people died last year when a mosque collapsed in Lahore, while more than 200 people lost their lives, mostly due to collapsed roofs, following torrential rain and flooding in 2014.