LAHORE: At least nine people, including five teenagers, were buried alive on Tuesday when a three-storey building collapsed in Pakistan's Punjab province, police said.
The building collapsed reportedly due to a cylinder explosion in Haram Gate Multan city, some 350 km from Lahore.
Police officer Sohail Chaudhry told reporters that the three-storey building collapsed apparently owing to a gas cylinder blast.
"However, police are also investigating other aspects to determine the exact cause of the collapse," he said.
According to Punjab Emergency Services Rescue 1122's District Emergency Officer Dr Kaleemullah, a total of 11 people were present in the building when it collapsed with a bang on Tuesday, and they were all trapped under the rubble.
He said the rescue teams pulled the nine dead bodies out of the rubble. The other two survivors were shifted to Nishtar Hospital, where their condition was stated to be critical.
He said seven of the dead belonged to one family, including five teenagers. Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has expressed her grief and sympathy with the victims' families. She also directed the Multan Commissioner to thoroughly investigate the matter.