Pakistani factory blaze toll rises, search goes on

KARACHI, Jan 16 (Reuters) Pakistani firefighters and army engineers were trying to rescue an unknown number of people the morning after a blaze at a textile factory in Karachi, with the death toll today already standing at six.

The factory roof collapsed while firefighters were still trying to bring the blaze under control last night.

''One of the injured died today, while we have spotted another apparently dead body under the rubble just now,'' Javed Akbar, an officer in the city's fire department, told Reuters.

Three of the dead retrieved so far belonged to the fire service, and four more firemen were known to be buried somewhere in the smouldering rubble.

''We know that four firefighters are trapped in there. But the factory owners are not clear if any of their workers are still there,'' Akbar said.

At least 18 people suffered burns and other injuries.

Flames were still flickering today morning in the rubble of the factory, located in a densely populated part of the southern city.

Fire department officials said they were unsure how the blaze started, but electrical faults are a common cause of such fires.

REUTERS BDP BD1306