Two more bodies have been pulled from the rubble of a factory that collapsed in Pakistan, raising the death toll to 17.
The three-storey building in Lahore, which used to manufacture veterinary medicines, was destroyed after a suspected boiler and gas cylinder explosion.
Rescue workers have spent the night digging through the debris with their bare hands, hammers, axes and chisels.
"We hope to clear most of the rubble by tonight," rescue chief Rizwan Naseer said.
He added that workers were digging tunnels under the rubble to pull out more injured and dead bodies.
"It is a very slow and difficult operation," he said.
"We have to be very careful because it involves human lives."
At least 13 people have been pulled out alive and 17 bodies found - that of 11 women, three young girls and three boys between the ages of 12 and 16.
The death toll is expected to rise further with dozens of people still believed to be trapped under the concrete mass.
Police said the factory was illegal. Local residents said it had been shut down twice since 2008, but that the owners re-opened the premises each time.
"The owners violated the court orders and broke the seals," administration official Ahad Cheema said.
The accident at the Orient Labs (Private) Limited factory, in the Multan Road area of the city, has highlighted poor safety procedures among Pakistani manufacturers and the use of child labour.
9:23am UK, Tuesday February 07, 2012
http://news.sky.com/home/world-news/article/16164654
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