At least 27 people died inside a four-storey commercial building near Mundka Metro station, in Outer Delhi, while 12 others were injured on May 13, 2022, reported the NDTV. Owners of the company, Harish Goel and Varun Goel were arrested, their father was among those who died in the fire.
News reports of the vicious fire that took place on Friday evening said that at least 50 people were rescued from the building, and around 29 are still missing. The mishap is one being called one of the worst fires in the national capital. According to NDTV the building owner Manish Lakra, who is absconding, did not have the safety clearance for the structure from the fire department.
#MundkaFire
Very much horrific,scary and heart wrenching visuals from Mundka ,27 dead bodies recovered in the devastating fire and still some people are Missing. May almighty God take care of them…. pic.twitter.com/tImJZNBjjf— Dharnidhar Kumar (@DharnidharKuma9) May 14, 2022
The Communist Party of India Marxist-Lenninist (CPI(ML)) has called the accident a result of “deliberate undermining of industrial safety on the part of governments in Delhi and in centre as well as of MCD”.
All the injured workers must get best treatment at governmental expenses.
We also demand to also take immediate action against concerned officials responsible for the lapses in fire and other safety norms of this building, under relevant sections of criminal law.
2/— CPIML Liberation (@cpimlliberation) May 13, 2022
Social media videos showed people trying to escape the building from broken windows using a rope. Many people tried to jump to another building. Firefighters and officials worked late into the night to douse the flames to an extent and enter the premises, reported Indian Express. Delhi Fire Services Chief Atul Garg told the media that 30 fire tenders were rushed to the spot.
Reacting to the news, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced ₹ 2 lakh each from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund to the next of kin of the deceased and ₹ 50,000 to the injured. Similarly, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal declared a compensation of ₹ 10 lakh to the deceased’s families and ₹ 50,000 to the injured. He also visited the area on Saturday and called for a magisterial enquiry into the incident.
मुंडका स्थित इमारत में लगी आग का हादसा बेहद दर्दनाक और झकझोर देने वाला है। माननीय मुख्यमंत्री जी ने खुद मौक़े पर पहुँचकर अधिकारियों से रिपोर्ट ली।
हादसे की मजिस्ट्रेट जाँच के आदेश दे दिए गए हैं। मृतकों के परिवार को 10 लाख रुपए एवं घायलों को 50 हज़ार का मुआवज़ा दिया जाएगा। pic.twitter.com/tYIMas91sJ
— CMO Delhi (@CMODelhi) May 14, 2022
The building manufactured CCTVs, WiFi routers and other electrical equipment. Officials suspected the fire to have started from the first floor, where a generator was kept. On the second floor, many people had gathered to attend a motivational speech. When the power went off, a staff member went downstairs to check the generator and noticed the fire. As the fire spread upwards, people began rushing to the third floor, reported the Indian Express.
By 10 pm, members of the National Fire Service arrived to help the fire and police departments with cranes. The single escape via a staircase had caused considerable chaos in the building.
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