AT least 314 people burnt to death as fires swept through two factories in Pakistan, police and government officials confirmed.

Flames spread through a garment factory in the commercial capital of Karachi, killing 289 people.

Weeping relatives in hospitals and mortuaries heaped criticism on the unpopular government.

Yesterday, a provincial minister ordered an inspection of all factories and industrial plants in Sindh province within 48 hours.

Karachi, home to 18 million people, is the capital of Sindh.

"The owners were more concerned with safeguarding the garments in the factory than the workers," said garment factory employee Mohammad Pervez, holding up a photograph of his cousin, who is also a worker there and is missing.

Critics say Pakistan's corrupt and ineffective government has failed to tackle the country's problems. The country is battling with a Taliban insurgency, widespread poverty, spiralling crime and daily power cuts.

In the eastern city of Lahore, a fire raged in a shoe factory, killing at least 25 people.

A preliminary provincial government report on the Lahore fire concluded that the closure of the emergency exits led to the deaths and labour and safety regulations were not applied, government sources said.

Amir Farooqi, the senior superintendent of police, said officers were raiding buildings in different parts of Karachi to search for the factory owners.

Mr Farooqi said 35 people were injured in the garment factory fire and bodies were still being recovered from the facility, which employed around 450 people.

The cause of the garment factory fire was not clear.

"Within two minutes there was fire in the entire factory," said worker Liaqat Hussain, 29, from his hospital bed where he was being treated for multiple burns.

In Lahore, workers suspected the fire was caused by a problem with a generator.