Explosion at a chemical factory in Pakistan kills 12 people

Islamabad – In Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province, a chemical factory located in a residential area exploded on Friday, killing 12 people and injuring many others, police said.

The blast occurred at around 5:30 a.m. local time in the industrial city of Faisalabad, and it sparked a major fire that spread to nearby facilities, according to Xinhua reports citing the police.

Joint firefighting efforts by fire-controllers and rescue teams prevented the fire from reaching other nearby homes, Xinhua reported.

Police said the explosion’s force downed walls and roofs of many adjacent houses, and most of the dead and injured were residents of those damaged homes.

The injured have been taken to a nearby hospital, and many of them are in critical condition, according to officials.

Rescue operations are still underway, and, because many people are believed to be trapped inside the factory, there is fear the death toll may rise.