Forty-three people were killed when a fire broke out at a luggage manufacturing factory on an early morning in Anaj Mandi area of Delhi on Sunday. Most of the people who lost their lives were labourers who were sleeping at the factory in Anaj Mandi on Rani Jhansi Road when the fire broke out at 5 am.
According to the reports, more than 43 people have lost their lives and over 56 people have been injured in the fire. Over 30 fire tenders were rushed to the spot to douse the fire and to carry out rescue operations. The cause of the fire incident is unknown yet.
The fire department officials said they received a call in the morning about a fire incident and had no information about people trapped in the burning building, which caused a delay in the rescue operations.
Reportedly, the building was packed with labourers who worked in different factories. The police have begun their investigation and have started looking for the owner of the building.
Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri, CM Arvind Kejriwal, BJP leaders Manoj Tiwari and Anurag Thakur have reached the site of the Anaj Mandi fire.
The Prime Minister has announced Rs. 2 lakh ex-gratia from PMNRF to the next of kin of those who have lost their lives in the fire. PM has also announced Rs 50,000 each to those seriously injured.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal rushed to the site after meeting the injured at the hospital. “It is a very sad incident. I have ordered a magisterial inquiry into it. Compensation of Rs 10 lakhs each will be given to families of those dead and Rs 1 lakh each to those injured. The expense of medical treatment of those injured to be borne by the government,” he said.
The factory was operating in a Delhi area, whose narrow and congested lanes are lined with many small manufacturing and storage units.
Speaking to media about the Delhi fire, Deputy Fire Chief Officer Sunil Choudhary said, “A fire broke out in a 600 sq feet plot. It was very dark inside. It is a factory where school bags, bottles and other materials were kept.”
Rescue operations are still on while the surrounding buildings in the area are being emptied. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel are assisting in rescue operations.
