At least 43 killed as massive blaze rips through factory building in New Delhi

NEW DELHI, Dec 8, 2019, RT. Over four dozen people have been killed after a fire erupted at a house in New Delhi, trapping scores of laborers inside the burning building. Multiple fire units rushed to the scene in an attempt to fight the blaze, Russia Today reported.

The fire broke out in the early hours of Sunday, at about 5:30am, when dozens of workers were sleeping inside the factory building in the Aanaj Mandi area near downtown New Delhi. The fire spread rapidly through the building, exposing many oblivious laborers to the smoke and flames.

“A fire broke out in a 600sq feet plot. It was very dark inside. It is a factory where school bags, bottles and other materials were kept,” the Times of India quoted Deputy Fire Chief Officer Sunil Choudhary as saying.

The officer further said the fire was classified as “medium” and had been completely doused later in the day. Nevertheless, rescue operations will continue inside the building.

The building is located in a crowded area of a grains market. Media reports suggest the blaze may have originated in the bag manufacturing unit of what some reports call a makeshift factory, not equipped with fire extinguishers, as the result of a short circuit.

Around 50 people were rescued from the building and taken to various hospitals. However, several of them have apparently since succumbed to their injuries, and the death toll is expected to climb.

Local politicians reacted to the news with grief and sorrow. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the incident “extremely horrific,” tweeting his condolences to the families of the victims.

Meanwhile, police are searching for the owner of the factory as part of a preliminary inquiry into the fire, which Indian media have described as the worst and deadliest in years.