An initial report of Faisalabad chemical factory blast suggested that it didn’t have the NoC from the federal government. According to the report, explosive material was stored in the factory premises, “negligence and unskilled staff’ likely caused the deadly disaster.“The gas cylinder leakage and electric short circuit might have ignited the chemical,” according to the report.

Director General Industries Punjab has constituted a four-member inquiry committee comprises of chief inspector boiler, DO Industries, deputy chief inspector boiler and a representative of boiler engineers. The deadly incident took place at the chemical factory in Malikpur, Faisalabad. The DC said that the deceased include children, women, elderly individuals, and factory workers.

Initial findings suggest that the chemical caught fire due to a gas leakage. The blast was so intense that roofs of nearby houses collapsed due to the impact.An initial statement by Rescue 1122 said the incident took place early in the morning after the boiler of the factory exploded, causing the collapse of the building and nearby structures.

However, the rescue service later attributed the explosion to a gas leak, which was also confirmed in the statement issued by Faisalabad Commissioner Raja Jahangir Anwar’s office.The first information report (FIR) of the incident was registered on the state’s behalf by the police and mentioned 20 dead, with 19 named victims, and seven injured.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)