Ghaziabad Garment Factory Fire Kills 13

Ghaziabad: Thirteen people were killed and three were injured in a massive fire which broke out on Friday at an unlicensed garment manufacturing factory which was being run in a residential area here, police said.

Senior Superintendent of Police of Ghaziabad Deepak Kumar Singh said that around 5.30 am district fire control room received information regarding massive fire breaking out in a garment manufacturing unit situated near Jaipal Chowk in Shahid Nagar locality of Sahibabad.

Fire tenders from Sahibabad fire station rushed to the spot but due to narrow and congested lanes and the parking of vehicles in the area the fire dousing operations were hindered as the fire tenders could not reach near the incident site, the SSP said.

The garment factory was unlicensed and was being run in residential area, he said.

Electrical short circuit may be one of the probable cause of the fire, the SSP said adding police is investigating other angles also.

At the time of fire 16 workers were sleeping on first floor of the factory.

Ten of the workers were suffocated to death while three others were charred to death.

Remaining three workers with minor burn injuries jumped from the first floor to save themselves who were immediately rushed to nearby GTB Hospital in North East Delhi.

An FIR has been registered against the factory owners Nazakat and Rizwan under section 304A IPC (Causing death due to negligence) and both of them have been arrested, police said.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has announced ex-gratia compensation of two lakh rupees to 13 families of deceased labourers.

"Expressing heartfelt condolences for the people who lost their lives in the incident," he said condoling the deaths in the fire through an official statement here.

The Chief Minister has directed the Ghaziabad District Hospital to provide adequate help to all those affected by the fire, it said.

A committee has been constituted to scrutinise the illegal dyeing and other factories being run in the area, said District Magistrate Nidhi Kesrwani. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi condoled the loss of lives in the fire tragedy.

"Very sad to learn that a fire in a garment factory in Sahibabad has claimed many lives.My thoughts & prayers are with the bereaved families", he tweeted.