ISLAMABAD, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- A factory caught fire late Monday night in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore which left 11 people dead, an official said on Tuesday morning.
Chief of the rescue operation team Rana Ijaz Ahmad told media that a perfume-making factory caught fire after a gas cylinder exploded, which also engulfed a residential block adjacent to the factory.
According to an eyewitness, the fire spread quickly, engulfed the entire factory and the residential block and did not let people leave the premises.
The majority of the people who lost their lives were living in the residential block, said the official, adding that the deceased include the factory owner, two children and a woman.
The authorities present at the site also asked the residents of other nearby affected buildings to leave the area.
The official said that the toll might further rise as they feared that some more bodies are present inside the buildings under the debris. They would start the search operation once they have completed the cooling process, he added.
