Pakistan collapse: Over 100 rescued, hope fades for others

Pakistani soldiers and rescuers search for victims in the rubble of a collapsed factory on the outskirts of Lahore on Thursday. — AFP

Hopes of finding more survivors in the rubble of a collapsed Pakistani factory were fading as darkness fell on Thursday, with rescuers warning the death toll would likely rise as they dig further down through the debris.

Soldiers and rescuers in Lahore have pulled 108 people out of the rubble of the four-storey factory in Lahore alive, with at least 20 people confirmed dead, officials said, carefully cutting through steel and using cranes and heavy machinery to lift the debris.

“Almost 24 hours have passed and there are less chances of life now,” Arshad Zia, head of rescue services in Punjab province, told AFP on Thursday evening.

Rescuers have only removed rubble from the top two floors, he said, adding that more workers were believed to have been on the bottom floors at the time of the collapse.

It was unclear how many people were in the building when it collapsed or how many — dead or alive — may still be trapped in the debris. Rescue services spokesman Jam Sajjad Hussain said earlier Thursday it was “difficult” to give a specific number, but said workers had told officials that around 200 people had been inside at the time of the collapse, including the owner, though that was unconfirmed.