Pakistan factory collapse: Scores trapped and 10 dead in disaster at four-floor Lahore building

Officials say nearly 100 people were working in the factory when the roof caved in

Radio Pakistan said up to 200 people could be trapped in the factory rubble

(Radio Pakistan/Twitter)

At least 10 people have died and scores more remain trapped after the roof collapsed on a four-storey factory building in Lahore, Pakistan.

The incident took place towards the end of the working day on Wednesday evening, when there were still hundreds of people inside.

Rescue workers have pulled some of the injured from the rubble, but a spokesperson for the emergency services told state-run Radio Pakistan that there could be up to 200 more trapped.

Nearby hospitals have declared emergencies to deal with the expected influx of casualties from the building, located at an industrial site some 12 miles south of the centre of Lahore.

Speaking to Reuters at the scene, rescue worker Kashif Naveed said five people had been rescued so far. Though officials said the death toll stood at 10, some Pakistan media said it was 11, and it is expected to rise.

The cause of the collapse of the factory, which manufactured shopping bags, remains unclear.

But it comes over a week after a magnitude-7.5 earthquake hit Pakistan and northern Afghanistan, killing 273 people and damaging nearly 75,000 homes across the country.