Boiler explosion at factory kills 15 workers in eastern Pakistan

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A boiler at a glue-making factory in eastern Pakistan exploded on Friday, killing at least 15 workers and injuring seven others, police said.

The explosion took place at the industrial facility in Faisalabad, a city in Punjab province, local administrator Raja Jahangir said. He added that the cause of the explosion was being investigated.

The blast badly damaged the factory building and spread panic through the area, Jahangir said. The factory also caught fire shortly after the explosion, he said.

Poor safety standards are a frequent cause of industrial accidents and factory fires in Pakistan. In 2024, a dozen workers were injured in a similar boiler explosion at a textile mill in Faisalabad. Also last week, a blast at a firecrackers factory in Pakistan’s port city of Karachi killed four people.