LAHORE: At least five members of a minority Christian community were rescued on Saturday after a Muslim crowd attacked their settlement in Sargodha, Punjab, police and a community leader said.

The crowd, which accused the Christian group of blasphemy, hurled stones and bricks at the police, said Shariq Kamal, the police chief of Sargodha district.

A large contingent of police cordoned off the settlement, he said, adding that the crowd had been pushed back and five injured Christians had been taken to hospital.

At least one house and a small shoe factory were set on fire by protesters who had gathered after neighbours alleged that the the holy Quran had been desecrated by a minority community member, according to a police spokesman and Akmal Bhatti, a Christian leader.