CAIRO, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- At least eight people were killed and 35 others wounded when a fire broke out on Friday in a dyeing factory in El Mahalla El Kubra, the largest city in Egypt's northern Gharbia province, according to the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population.

Some 26 ambulances rushed to transfer the wounded to the nearest hospitals, the ministry added.

The fire was controlled by 11 fire extinguishers, but part of the factory collapsed, said an official statement by the province.

Ashraf El-Gendy, the governor of Gharbia, attributed the accident to an electrical short circuit that led to the explosion of a boiler on the first floor.

He has directed the relevant authorities to assess the safety of the adjacent buildings, and said that rescue teams are continuing their efforts to locate three individuals trapped beneath the debris. ■