India fire: Several killed in warehouse blaze in New Delhi

Cause of the fire, which broke out in New Delhi’s Kirari area, killing nine people, is not yet known.

People gather around a warehouse where a fire broke out in the early hours of Monday at Kirari area of New Delhi, India, Monday, Dec.23, 2019. The blaze killed 9 people and left at least 3 injured, a
People gather around a warehouse where a fire broke out in the early hours of Monday at Kirari area of New Delhi [AP Photo]

At least nine workers have been killed and 10 others wounded after a fire broke out in a warehouse used to store textiles in India‘s capital New Delhi, according to police.

The cause of the fire, which broke out in the early hours of Monday in the Kirari area of the city, is not yet known.

“It was a four-storey building which was mostly used as a cloth godown,” said Atul Garg, director of fire services. “A [gas] cylinder burst because of the fire and a part of a wall also collapsed.”

The dead included five women. All of them were workers who lived and worked in the building.

Three of the injured are being treated in the nearby Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital, while the rest have been released, police said.

The warehouse fire came only days after a blaze in a factory in New Delhi’s Anaj Mandi area killed 43 people.

Accidents and fires are common in India, where safety standards are often disregarded.

Poor fire protection devices, missing emergency exits and outdated electrical systems are not uncommon.

A woman tries to console a wailing relative of a victim as people gather around a warehouse where a fire broke out in the early hours of Monday at Kirari area of New Delhi, India, Monday, Dec.23, 2019
A woman tries to console a wailing relative of a victim. At least nine workers have been killed and 10 others wounded [AP Photo] 
Source: News Agencies

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