A large fire has swept
through a bag factory in the Indian capital Delhi, killing 43 workers,
officials say.
The blaze broke out at
the four-storey building in the city’s congested old quarter early on Sunday
morning.
At least 100 people
were sleeping inside the factory, which mainly makes school bags, when the fire
started. More than 60 have been rescued.
Prime Minister
Narendra Modi called the fire “horrific” and sent his condolences.
Delhi’s firefighters
received the first call about the fire at 05:22 local time on Sunday (23:52 GMT
Saturday).
The fire began on the
lower storeys, spreading rapidly to the third floor where workers were
sleeping.
The area where the
factory is located – Azad Market – is a web of narrow alleyways, which made it
difficult to reach the blaze.
Rescuers had to carry
out victims on their shoulders one-by-one with firefighters cutting away window
grills to access the building.
A local fire chief Dilnawaz
Pasha, said the building did not have a proper fire licence and was operating
illegally as a factory.
It is not clear what
caused the blaze but an investigation has been ordered.
Indian cities have
often seen deadly fires, with poor planning and lax enforcement of safety
regulations major factors.
Indian politicians
have been expressing their horror at the blaze.
“The fire in
Delhi’s Anaj Mandi on Rani Jhansi Road is extremely horrific,” Prime
Minister Modi tweeted.
Home Minister Amit
Shah called it a “tragic loss of precious lives”.