Delhi Fire: Anaj Mandi Mishap Echoes Of 1997 Uphaar Cinema Tragedy

The Anaj Mandi incident is said to be the biggest fire mishap after the 1997 Uphaar cinema tragedy which had claimed 59 lives.

A view of the damage caused by a fire in a factory at Rani Jhansi Road, in New Delhi, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2019. (PTI Photo)

New Delhi: The massive fire which broke out in Delhi on Sunday is said to be one of the biggest fire incidents in the national capital after the Uphaar Cinema fire which took place on June 13, 1997 in south Delhi's Green Park area leading to deaths of 59 and over 100 non-fatal injuries. The early morning blaze in Anaj Mandi area on Sunday engulfed 43 people and over a dozen others were injured early on Sunday when a fire broke out in a factory in a crowded market in West Delhi's Rani Jhansi Road area, the national capital's Fire Service Department said. The people who died in the fire were labourers and they were sleeping in the factory when the fire broke out between 4.30 a.m. and 5 a.m. on Sunday morning. So far, more than 60 people have been rescued and shifted to the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital (LNJP) and Lady Harding Hospital. Thirty four people have been reported to be dead in LNJP hospital and nine in Lady Harding Hospital, an official figure from the two hospitals reveals. The Fire Department said that they received a call around 5.22 a.m. and 25 fire tenders were rushed to the spot. The exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained but the fire officials said it could be a short circuit. At least 40 people were killed so far in the fire which erupted in a bag manufacturing factory and spread to two other nearby buildings, said Delhi Fire Service Chief Atul Garg, who claimed to have got the input from Delhi Police. The death toll is likely to increase. (with inputs from agencies)