Fire in commercial building in India kills at least 27
- Indian Express newspaper said two owners of a company selling security cameras were detained for questioning as the fire reportedly started from their office
- Twenty-seven fire engines doused the flames after battling the blaze for more than five hours
At least 27 people died and dozens more were injured in a massive fire in a building in the Indian capital New Delhi on Friday, emergency services said.
The large fire broke out at a four-storey commercial building in west Delhi in the late afternoon, but its cause was not immediately clear.
Twenty-seven fire engines doused the flames after battling for more than five hours. A search operation continued to look for anyone trapped in the rubble, the fire control room said.
“Twenty-seven charred bodies were recovered from the building and almost two dozen injured are undergoing treatment,” Satpal Bharadwaj, who was in charge of operations for the Delhi Fire Service at the scene, told Agence France-Presse.
Bharadwaj said there were about 70 people in the building when the blaze erupted.
“There was no fire exit and most of the people died due to asphyxiation,” he said, adding that more would be known after autopsies could be conducted.
The official said “almost two dozen” were injured and undergoing treatment, but earlier, deputy chief fire officer Sunil Choudhary said the number of injured stood at “more than 25 people”.