40 Killed As Midnight Fire Razes India Factory While Workers Sleep
LAGOS DECEMBER 9TH (NEWSRANGERS)-No less than 40 people were killed in a fire incident at a factory while the workers slept in the middle of the night.
In a report by The BBC, the blaze broke out at the four-storey building in the city’s congested old quarter early on Sunday morning.
At least 100 people were sleeping inside the factory, which mainly makes school bags, when the fire started. More than 60 have been rescued.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the fire “horrific” and sent his condolences.
The fire began on the lower storeys, spreading rapidly to the third floor where workers were sleeping.
“We woke up with cries and shouts for help,” said Ronak Khan, a 17-year-old living next door.
“I saw people trapped. We asked them to come to the rooftop so that we could rescue them but they were not able to come up.”
The area where the factory is located – Azad Market – is a web of narrow alleyways, which made it difficult to reach the blaze.
Rescuers had to carry out victims on their shoulders one-by-one with firefighters cutting away window grills to access the building.
A local fire chief told BBC Hindi’s Dilnawaz Pasha the building did not have a proper fire licence and was operating illegally as a factory.
An initial probe and eyewitnesses suggested a short circuit may have been to blame.
Victims’ relatives have been scrambling for information. One man told India’s PTI agency his brother was inside.
“I got a call from his friend informing that he has been injured in the incident. I have no clue which hospital he has been taken to,” he said.
Indian cities have often seen deadly fires, with poor planning and lax enforcement of safety regulations major factors.
“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.” Prime Minister Modi tweeted.
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