AFP, Lahore :
Rescue crews continued digging through the rubble of a horrifying factory collapse in Sunder Estate, with the death toll rising to 37 as rescuers pulled out more bodies from the debris on Friday.
At least 102 survivors have already been pulled from the fallen structure of the four-storey Rajput Polyester polythene bag factory near Lahore after it came crashing down on Wednesday evening, trapping scores of people inside.
But hopes were fading for anyone left alive as rescuers scrabbled through the
debris. “There are less chances of finding more injured under the rubble but we are looking for dead bodies,” Arshad Zia, head of rescue services in Punjab, told AFP.
Soldiers and rescuers were preparing to clear the rubble in front of the factory and move towards the rear of the building where they fear they will discover more victims. “We expect to find at least 25 more dead bodies in that part of the factory,” Zia said.
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. Over 30 people are feared to be still trapped under the rubble, rescue sources said.
A spokesman for the Rescue 1122 told Dawn that of the 167 people trapped in the building, 109 had been rescued. Most of them had minor injuries.
Rescue crews continued digging through the rubble of a horrifying factory collapse in Sunder Estate, with the death toll rising to 37 as rescuers pulled out more bodies from the debris on Friday.
At least 102 survivors have already been pulled from the fallen structure of the four-storey Rajput Polyester polythene bag factory near Lahore after it came crashing down on Wednesday evening, trapping scores of people inside.
But hopes were fading for anyone left alive as rescuers scrabbled through the
debris. “There are less chances of finding more injured under the rubble but we are looking for dead bodies,” Arshad Zia, head of rescue services in Punjab, told AFP.
Soldiers and rescuers were preparing to clear the rubble in front of the factory and move towards the rear of the building where they fear they will discover more victims. “We expect to find at least 25 more dead bodies in that part of the factory,” Zia said.
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. Over 30 people are feared to be still trapped under the rubble, rescue sources said.
A spokesman for the Rescue 1122 told Dawn that of the 167 people trapped in the building, 109 had been rescued. Most of them had minor injuries.
