Bawana cracker factory inferno devours 17 lives
BY Zafar Abbas21 Jan 2018 12:01 AM IST
Zafar Abbas21 Jan 2018 12:01 AM IST
New Delhi: Seventeen people died and several were injured in a major fire that broke out in Bawana industrial area on Saturday evening. Most of the casualties are workers of the cracker factory. At least 30 fire tenders were rushed to the spot and fire fighters were seen trying to douse off the flames.
However, despite their best efforts, the toll has gone up and the workers were trapped inside after they failed to run out and escape the flames. Most of the bodies were charred beyond recognition. The call of fire was received from sector 1, 2 and 5 in Bawana. The major affected was a cracker factory in sector 5 with the maximum number of casualties.
Confirming the death toll, Chief Fire Officer Atul Garg, who rushed to the spot, said, "17 people have died in the fire. It's a massive fire. It has been reported that the fire is in the cracker factory at basement ground and first floor. The Fire is of make four category."
"A call was received at 6:20 pm regarding a fire that broke out at F block, Sector 5 Bawana. On receiving the call, the police reached the spot and found that fire broke out at F-83, Sector 5, Bawana. The fire brigade and ambulances also reached the spot. The fire brigade quickly brought under control the fire that broke out in the factory. Due to the fire, people died of burns as well as asphyxiation in the tragedy. The cause of fire is not yet known." said DCP (Rohini) Rajneesh Gupta.
Most senior officers from both the police and the fire department reached the spot and supervised the rescue work . The injured were seen taken to nearby hospitals by ambulances. The only sounds heard in the area were police , fire brigade and ambulance sirens .
The fire was so massive that the workers of the factory did not get time to respond. They were trapped and within seconds they were charred to death. The ambulance staff were busy shifting the bodies and the injured workers to the hospitals nearby. The police said that they were still verifying the cause of the fire. It took several hours for the fire department to control the fire and carry out the cooling operation.
"We do not know the cause of the fire now. Only investigations would tell. Bodies are being taken to BSA Hospital and other hospitals because of limited space in the mortuary," informed the DCP.
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and Health Minsiter Satendra Jain both tweeted and said that they were keeping a close watch on the situation.
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