At least 16 people have been reported dead, while dozens remained trapped in the rubble of a building that collapsed on Wednesday near eastern city of Lahore in Pakistan.

The factory is about 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of Lahore.

Officials have confirmed that 16 bodies have been recovered from the building. Rescue crews are working to remove debris to find potential survivors, but are taking care not to cause a further collapse.

The chief administrator of Lahore, Mohamed Usman, said "there might be dead among them," referring to those still trapped in the rubble. He added that around 80 people had been pulled out alive and taken to area hospitals for treatment.

The building was three stories tall, and construction was underway on a fourth story when it collapsed. At the moment, there is no official cause for the collapse. However, last week a 7.5-magnitude earthquake shook Pakistan, killing nearly 300 people there.

Industrial accidents are not unheard of in Pakistan. A garment fire at a facility in Karachi in 2012 killed over 250 people, one of the worst disasters of its kind in a country with shaky standards when it comes to the construction and maintenance of buildings.

mz/rc (Reuters, AP)