Delhi Mundka fire: 27 Bodies Recovered, Kejriwal orders magisterial probe
The fire department said the four-storey building, which did not have a fire safety certificate, had a single entry and exit point.
NEW DELHI- A day after a massive fire in a building in outer Delhi’s Mundka claimed 27 lives, frantic relatives were still searching for their loved ones with police saying that 29 people remained unaccounted for.
According to the fire department, the death toll could increase to 30 as charred human remains were found in the building during cooling operations on Saturday morning. Twelve injured are undergoing treatment at a hospital here.
The fire department said the four-story building, which did not have a fire safety certificate, had a single entry and exit point.
“The building had a single escape route which is why there were so many casualties. Twenty-seven people have died,” Chief Fire Officer Atul Garg said.
He said it is suspected that an explosion in an AC may have triggered the fire.
Garg added it was difficult to ascertain whether the remains found on Saturday morning were of one person or more.
Harish Goel and his brother Varun Goel, owners of a CCTV camera and router manufacturing and assembling company, in whose office the fire is suspected to have started, have been arrested, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer) Sameer Sharma said.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia visited the spot on Saturday. The chief minister announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each for the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for those injured in the fire, which started from the first floor of the building.
Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal said he was “deeply pained” by the loss of lives in the tragedy, and called for immediate steps to prevent such incidents in the future. He also extended his condolences to the bereaved families.
Distraught relatives of the missing persons thronged the Sanjay Gandhi Hospital on Friday night hoping to get information about them.
According to DCP Sharma, an FIR has been registered against the owners of the CCTV camera packaging unit under sections 304 (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 120 (concealing design to commit offence punishable with imprisonment) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.
All the floors of the building were being used by the same company, he said.
The building’s owner, Manish Lakra, has also been booked, the police said.
