GUJRANWALA, Sept 18: Seven workers were killed while another 14 suffered injuries, two of them serious, when the roof of a factory collapsed on them as to the result of a boiler explosion at Kamoke in the early hours of Thursday.

Reports reaching here said that about 21 labourers were busy working during the night shift at the straw board factory on Chaudhry Abdul Wakeel Khan Road when the boiler exploded with a bang. The explosion was so intense that it brought down the factory roof, burying the workers under the rubble. The area people and workers of nearby factories carried out the rescue work which was later joined by the Rescue 1122 squad.

Six workers, Mohsin Ali Shah, Shoaib, Mehmood, Manzoor, Muhammad Abbas and Ali Abbas, were recovered dead from the debris while Azizur Rehman died at the DHQ Hospital.

The Rescue 1122 rushed the injured workers to the Civil Hospital, Kamoke, and the DHQ Hospital, Gujranwala. Two of the injured, Gulfam and Ashfaq, were shifted to Mayo Hospital, Lahore, in critical condition. Bodies of workers were handed over to their heirs.

It was learnt that the workers had informed the owners that boiler was defective, but they paid no heed to their complaints. Owners Shaukat and Tariq however claimed that six newly-recruited staff could not properly handle the functioning of the boiler. However, the police took them into custody.

Cardiology institute: The outdoor of under-construction 200-bed cardiology institute in Wazirabad will be operational in December.

Dr Asif Javed, the project director, Institute of Cardiology, told Dawn that the building structure had been completed and, at present, electrification and other works were in progress. The institute is spread over 65 kanals of land while another piece of 74 kanals has been earmarked for staff colony.

ARREST: A Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) raiding party claimed on Thursday to have arrested a notorious proclaimed offender after a brief encounter from Noshehra Virkan.

Accused Aish Muhammad was wanted in dozens of cases of human smuggling.

The FIA said the accused had confessed to having sent dozens of people to Greece through Iran and Turkey by charging Rs 900,000 each.

SUSPENDED: A primary school headmaster was suspended by the district administration for his absence from duty.

DCO Dr Pervaiz Ahmad Khan paid surprise visits to various schools and found Government Primary School, Tibba Muhammad Nagar, headmaster Javed Iqbal absent from duty.

He expressed satisfaction over the performance of Government Girls Primary School, Tibba Muhammad Nagar and gave a cash award of Rs 5,000 to its teacher.