4 die in fire at Kandivali garment factory
The fire was brought under control by midnight but the bodies could only be recovered today morning (screengrabs from the video)
Four persons were killed in a massive blaze that broke out at a garment factory in the Damu Nagar slum area of Mumbai’s Kandivali on Sunday. The bodies were recovered by officials earlier today.
The blaze, which broke out between 3 and 4 pm yesterday, quickly spread to neighbouring areas, destroying adjoining units and scores of hutments.
The conflagration was brought under control around midnight with the help of four fire engines. However, Mumbai Fire Brigade and other rescuers could recover the four burnt bodies from the debris only on Monday.
Although some persons were feared trapped in the ground-plus-one structure housing of the small garment manufacturing unit, the rescuers could not reach them in time.
Eye-witnesses said around a dozen gas cylinders in some homes also exploded as the hutments were rapidly engulfed by the inferno.
The deceased have been identified as Raju Vishwakarma (30), Rajesh Vishwakarma (36), Sudama Singh (36) and Bhavesh Parekh (51). A search operation is underway to retrieve any more bodies that might be trapped under the debris.
Fire at Damunagar kandivali pic.twitter.com/mdDEWtfioj
— Omprakash Yadav (@om2007om) December 23, 2018
Hundreds of families rendered homeless have been accommodated in a nearby garden and provided basic amenities and food with the help of BMC and some NGOs.
The incident took place hours after a similar blaze had engulfed the basement of a commercial structure in Khar (West).
The building, New Beauty Centre, houses several cosmetic shops. However, a major tragedy was averted as it was relatively vacant during morning hours. The blaze was brought under control after two hours of firefighting and did not result in any casualties.
