Major Fire In Delhi Factory, 35 Feared Dead, 50 Rescued

NEW DELHI: Forty-four people were killed after a major fire broke out in a house in Anaj Mandi on Rani Jhansi Road here on Sunday morning, a Delhi Fire Service official said.The number may increase is what the fire officials are saying.Twenty one people are said to be in a critical condition as per reports that have just come in.

A call about the fire was received at 5:22 AM following which 30 fire tenders were rushed to the spot. Many people trapped inside were rescued and rushed to Lok Nayak Hospital and Hindu Rao Hospital, they said.Most of them died to suffocation as the smoke spread throughout the building. The fire has been doused and rescue efforts are underway.

A fire officer said that the fire broke out in a 600 sq feet plot factory where school bags, bottles and other materials were manufactured and kept. The injured were sent to LNJP hospital for medical aid. He said that the fire was due to a short circuit. The area is a congested market area and most of them were said to have died to suffocation.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted about the fire accident:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, “The fire in Delhi’s Anaj Mandi on Rani Jhansi Road is extremely horrific. My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones. Wishing the injured a quick recovery. Authorities are providing all possible assistance at the site of the tragedy.”

The owner said that more than 20-25 labourers were sleeping inside when the incident happened between two building which were very close to each other.

Rs 10 lakh assistance to victims families &Rs 1 lakh for the injured.

The Delhi government has announced Rs 10 lakh assistance to the families of those killed in the massive blaze at a factory in west Delhi's Rani Jhansi Road area. Meanwhile, the Chief Minister ordered a magisterial inquiry into the fire incident.

Taking to Twitter, Kejriwal said: "We have lost more than 40 innocent lives to this tragic fire. I've ordered a magisterial inquiry into its cause, no culprit will be spared." At least 43 people were killed and over a dozen others injured early on Sunday when a fire broke out in a factory in a crowded market in Delhi. The people who died in the fire are labourers and they were sleeping in the factory when the fire broke out between 4.30 a.m. and 5 a.m.

Meanwhile, Police said an FIR has been registered against the factory owner for operating the bag manufacturing unit from a residential area and flouting safety norms.

(Inputs from the agencies)