Reports say rescue workers began sifting through the rubble with their hands
A factory building has collapsed in the Pakistani city of Lahore, with dozens of people including child workers feared trapped, officials say.
Officials said the blast at the three-storey building could have been caused by a gas explosion.
One official told Reuters news agency that both the building and two houses next to it had "completely collapsed".
Reports said two bodies have been recovered. Rescue workers were trying to help those inside.
Estimates about the number of people trapped range from 30 to 100.
According to factory records about 60 people were meant to be at work that day, but the blast occurred shortly after opening hours and correspondents say people may still have been arriving when the building collapsed.
It is unclear how many children were in the building, but reports confirm that some are still trapped in the debris.
Local residents say that the factory produced veterinary medicines.
It had been shut down several times in the past on safety grounds, police said. But they added that the current focus is on rescuing those trapped inside.
According to Reuters, the authorities were having problems transporting heavy machinery to the area to clear the debris because of narrow streets in the residential area where the factory was located.
Rescue workers shifting rubble by hand said that they were looking for voids, where people may have been able to survive.
"My house is near the factory. I felt a strong jolt and my house shook. I thought it was a bombing," local resident Awais Raza told Reuters.
Correspondents say officials often complain of illegal land use, which is rampant in Pakistani cities where the line between commercial and non-commercial property often becomes blurred.
Source:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16901719
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