At least 18 people were killed and 21 were injured Friday when a boiler exploded at a glue factory in eastern Pakistan, collapsing the building, damaging nearby homes and triggering a massive fire that sent panic through the neighborhood, officials said.
Police said they arrested the factory manager and were looking for the factory owner, who fled shortly after the explosion at the industrial facility in Faisalabad, a city in Punjab province.
The cause of the explosion, was not immediately known, according to Usman Anwar, the Punjab police chief. Police later said a gas leakage may have caused it.
It was not clear how many of the 18 dead were factory workers and how many were local residents. Earlier reports said at least 15 workers were killed.
Local administrator Raja Jahangir said an investigation was underway to determine how construction permits allowed the factory to be built in a residential area of Faisalabad, in violation of building laws.
