A labourer was killed and three injured after a furnace oil godown collapsed following an LPG cylinder blast here on Monday night.
The injured were taken to a hospital, where they were reported to be out of danger.
Rescue officials said that oil was being filled in barrels from an oil tanker at the facility located on Bajwa Road, near Sheikhupura Road when a fire broke out.
The LPG cylinder, which was lying close to the barrels, exploded from the heat. The building collapsed. Haji Akram, Tarique, Ashraf and an unidentified man were buried under the rubble.
Rescue 1122 and fire brigade teams evacuated the injured and took them to hospital. Haji Akram was found dead lying under the rubble.
Shahid Abid, a neighbour, said he was standing at the street corner when the explosion took place. He said neighbours gathered at the spot and started rescue activities on a self-help basis.
District Officer (Emergency) Ayaz Ahmed said such incidents took place because people did not place fire-extinguishing equipment at workplaces.
District Coordination Officer Najam Ahmed Shah and Assistant Commissioner (City) Syed Salahuddin visited the spot.
Talking to the media, Shah said the district government would launch a crackdown on factories and godowns having no licence to store oil and fireworks.
Five buildings sealed
Qila Deedar Singh town administration on Tuesday sealed five illegal commercial building, including a furnace oil factory.
Town Administrator Waseem Abbas and TOR Shahid Farooq raided several areas on Tuesday and sealed buildings that did not have certified building plans and non objection certificates. Cases have been registered against the owners of the buildings.
Three die, six injured in road accident
In Sargodha, three people were killed and six injured in traffic accidents.
In one accident, two motorcycles collided head-on on the Lahore Road, injuring Nauman and Waseem. They were taken to hospital where Nauman died.
In another accident, a speeding bus hit a donkey cart at Shaheenabad, killing its driver Noorul Islam. He was a resident of Sillanwali.
On the Jhang Road, cyclist Kaleemullah was injured after he was hit by a speeding car. He was taken to a local hospital from where he was referred to Lahore. He died on the way to Lahore.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 6th, 2013.