A major fire erupted, in a factory situated in Delhi's Anaj Mandi area, early Sunday morning. At the time when the blaze set in, the building reported to have been packed with labourers. About 200 people were inside the factory when the fire erupted.
A call to the fire department was made at 5:22 am (Local Time), after which 30 fire tenders were immediately rushed to the site to douse the fire, Times of India reported.
Death toll has gone up to 43
Deputy fire officer Sunil Choudhary said in a statement, "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". "The fire has been doused", he further informed.
The death toll has gone up to 43 and 56 are injured while more than 50 have been evacuated, police sources have confirmed. Many are still feared to be trapped inside the building. A team of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), a specialized force to respond to a disaster, has been rushed to the spot.
Most of the deceased lost lives due to suffocation
Majority of the deceased lost their lives due to suffocation, local media reported. Atul Garg, Chief Fire Officer, Delhi Fire Service said, "Till now we have rescued more than 50 people, most of them were affected due to smoke". The fire is reported to have erupted due to a short-circuit. Police is reportedly searching for the owner of the factory.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter and termed the incident as "extremely horrific". "Authorities are providing all the possible assistance at the site of the tragedy", he said.
Indian Home Minster Amit Shah also took to Twitter to offer condolences to the families of the deceased. He said to "have instructed concerned authorities to provide all possible assistance on urgent basis". Delhi's Chief Minister also took to social media to inform the same and that he was on his way to the incident site.
