Blaze in high-rise building claims seven lives in Mumbai

Published June 8, 2015
Mumbai: Rescue personnel pictured at the scene of a fire in an apartment building.
Mumbai: Rescue personnel pictured at the scene of a fire in an apartment building.

MUMBAI: A fire in a high-rise apartment block in Mumbai has killed seven people after they became trapped on the upper floors, officials said on Sunday.

Fire officials are probing the cause of the blaze in the Indian financial capital which erupted on Saturday night on the 14th floor of the 21-storey tower block, officials said.

“We have confirmation of seven deaths. At least 25 others are injured and are undergoing treatment in various hospitals,” an officer in the Mumbai fire department’s control room said.

At least three people died after they tried to use the lifts to flee the fire which some officials have blamed on an electrical fault in an air-conditioning unit, according to local media reports. “We rescued five persons of the same family from one of the gutted flats.

Over 20 persons from the building were rescued safely,” senior fire officer P.S. Rahangdale told the Hindustan Times daily. The incident comes barely a month after four senior officers of a Mumbai fire brigade died in a blaze at another building.

Mumbai has also suffered from a string of building collapses including one in April 2013 that killed 74 people.

Those incidents highlighted poor construction methods and substandard materials and violations of building codes as a result of a huge demand for housing in the city.

Published in Dawn, June 8th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play

Opinion

Editorial

Out of control
Updated 19 Feb, 2025

Out of control

AS bodies continue to fall in Kurram despite a state-sanctioned ceasefire, one wonders how long local militants’...
Hollow words
19 Feb, 2025

Hollow words

IT is not uncommon for politicians to resort to the use of hyperbole in order to boost their public standing. ...
Migration matters
19 Feb, 2025

Migration matters

THE grass, it seems, did appear greener on the other side to millions of people as evidenced by the latest UN ...
Cholistan project
Updated 18 Feb, 2025

Cholistan project

GPI goals align with Pakistan's broader economic aims but the manner in which the initiative was launched raises questions.
Right to know
18 Feb, 2025

Right to know

IT is an unfortunate paradox that while on paper Pakistan has some of the most impressive right to information laws,...
Dam dispute
18 Feb, 2025

Dam dispute

THE situation in Chilas needs attention and a fair-minded approach so that it can be resolved amicably. Diamer ...