People gather near a factory which caught fire, in eastern Pakistan's Lahore, on May 11, 2018. Several laborers got injured when the production unit of a factory caught fire in capital city Lahore of Pakistan's east Punjab province on Friday afternoon, local reports said. (Xinhua/Sajjad)

ISLAMABAD, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Several laborers got injured when the production unit of a factory caught fire in capital city Lahore of Pakistan's east Punjab province on Friday afternoon, local reports said.

The fire erupted in an electronics factory in densely populated Multan Road area due to a short circuit. The fire engulfed nearby shops and vehicles, local TV channel Lahore Rang reported.

There are contradictory reports about presence of laborers inside the factory as some factory employees told local media that their several colleagues were working inside when the fire erupted.

However, the factory owners denied the claim, saying that there was no one inside as the fire broke out when all laborers left the site for Friday prayers.

The injured people were shifted to a nearby hospital, but their condition is not known yet.

Chief Minister of Punjab Shahbaz Sharif took notice of the incident and directed concerned departments to speed up their work and ensure no loss of life in the accident.

A large number of firefighters are trying to extinguish the fire and more fire engines have been dispatched to the site to bring the blaze under control.

A thick blanket of smoke engulfed the whole area, following the accident, causing panic among the residents.