Summary At least 27 deaths have been confirmed in the incident so far.
LAHORE (Web Desk) – A petition seeking formation of a judicial commission to probe Lahore factory tragedy was filed in the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday, Dunya News reported.
The petition filed by Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) states that the government failed to identify persons responsible for the tragic incident, that has claimed more than 20 lives.
The building was constructed in violation of building codes and its map was not approved as well, the plaintiff added.
The court was requested to form a judicial commission to investigate the incident.
Punjab government, district administration and LDA were made respondents in the petition.
On the other hand, a meeting of Sundar Industrial Estate board took place in Lahore today. Records and documents of factory owner Malik Muhammad Ashraf were reviewed in the meeting.
According to sources, the documents and factory map have been approved by the concerned departments, however, there is possibility that the owner personally might have committed a mistake.
The factory owner has not been traced so far.
DEATH TOLL LIKELY TO RISE
Rescue crews resumed digging through the rubble of a collapsed factory on Friday as officials said they expected to find at least two dozen more bodies, with the death toll standing at 27.
More than 100 survivors have already been pulled from the debris of the four-storey Rajput Polyester polythene bag factory near the Punjab provincial capital of Lahore after it came crashing down on Wednesday evening, trapping dozens of people inside.
But hopes were fading for anyone left alive as rescuers scrabbled through the debris.
Soldiers and rescuers were preparing to clear the rubble in front of the factory and move towards the rear of the building where they fear they will discover more victims.
It was unclear how many people were in the building when it collapsed or how many -- dead or alive -- may still be trapped, but officials have said at least 150 people were in the factory when it came down.
Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif has said the factory may have suffered structural damage in the October 26 quake which killed almost 400 people across Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Provincial labour minister Raja Ashfaq Sarwar said that an enquiry into the collapse "is being conducted and we will probe all angles", with a report to be submitted within two weeks.
