Death toll in Pakistan factory collapse rises to 53

LAHORE: The death toll in the collapse of a factory here in Pakistan has risen to 53 as rescuers found more bodies trapped in the rubble of the building.

The four-storey structure of Rajpoot Polyester polythene bag making factory collapsed on Wednesday evening and dozens of workers of civilian and army have been busy to clear tonnes of debris.

More bodies of victims of the tragedy were recovered yesterday, raising the death toll to 53, the Geo News reported today.

Rescue officials said over a hundred survivors had so far been pulled from the wreckage of the factory.

No part of the building remained standing after the disaster, leaving dozens of workers trapped under the debris. It was unclear how many people were in the building when it collapsed or how many were still trapped, the report said.

According to reports, the factory's owner, who was adding a new floor to the building, had ignored advice from his contractor to stop construction after cracks in the walls following the October 26 earthquake.

The quake of magnitude 7.5 killed more than 300 people in Pakistan and the northern parts of neighbouring Afghanistan and damaged thousands of buildings.