LAHORE - Two workers died and another wounded critically when a boiler exploded in a factory in the Raiwind area yesterday morning, rescue workers said.

Police identified the victims as Abdul Rasheed and Naveed Ahmed. The injured worker was shifted to a hospital in critical condition.

The factory building caught fire soon after the blast. The blaze spread to the entire structure within minutes. Initial investigations suggested the cause of the explosion was gas leakage.  Police later reached the spot and handed over the bodies to the families.

Only a few men were at work in the factory when its boiler exploded. Authorities yesterday ordered an inquiry to probe into the incident. Some officials of the city district government also inspected the site. Some five firefighting units took part in the operation which last for two hours. The factory owner fled the scene as the police reached there. Further investigation was underway.

Mother of two shot dead

A mother of two children was shot dead by her ex-lover at a house in Hydyara police precincts yesterday. The body as moved to the morgue for an autopsy.

The victim was identified by police as Ramzana Bibi. The lady, her husband, and two children were living at a house located in Jhalliya village since they migrated to Lahore from Faisalabad.

The police rushed to the crime scene soon after the shooting and arrested the gunman. Muhammad Asif told the police that he shot dead his ex-lover as they exchanged harsh words over some dispute. According to police investigator, both the killer and the deceased belonged to Faisalabad district.

On the day of incident, the man entered the house and opened fire on the lady after a brief altercation.

The police filed a murder case against the accused and were investigating the killing. The police also seized a pistol from the murder suspect.