Ludhiana factory collapse toll 13; owner arrested

The owner of a plastic factory, which collapsed on Monday and leaving 13 people dead, was arrested by the Punjab Police on Wednesday.

Inderjit Singh Gola, owner of the factory, who had gone underground since Monday, has been arrested, Ludhiana Police Commissioner R.N. Dhoke said here.

The victims included six firemen and a municipal corporation official. Several people were trapped under the debris of the collapsed five-storeyed building, located in a congested part of the Industrial area near Cheema Chowk.

The factory building, which was engulfed in a major fire on Monday morning, collapsed later in the afternoon following a powerful blast.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday ordered a detailed inquiry by the Patiala Divisional Commissioner into the incident and announced compensation for the kin of those killed.

The two injured men, identified as Rohit Kumar and Sunil Kumar, are undergoing treatment at CMC Hospital Ludhiana. The rescue operation continued on Wednesday. Teams of the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF), Army, Punjab Police, the Fire Department and a local NGO were engaged in rescue work.

--IANS

js/vd