Kolkata warehouse fire: Death toll rises to 16; search underway for 20 missing | What we know so far

Kolkata warehouse fire: The death toll in the fire has reached 16, the police informed on Wednesday. At the same time, several people are still missing, and a search is underway. The fire broke out in the two warehouses around 3 am on Monday, and it continued to rage until Tuesday afternoon.

Kolkata warehouse fire: A fire broke out in two warehouses in Anandapur, on the southern outskirts of Kolkata, on Monday. In the unfortunate incident, several people died, and many others are still missing. Meanwhile, police have arrested Gangadhar Das, the owner of the burnt-down decorator's warehouse, on charges of death due to negligence.

The decorator's warehouse was adjacent to a Momo company's warehouse, which was also destroyed in the fire. Similar charges have been filed against the owners of the Momo company, but no one from that company has been arrested yet, IANS reported.

Death toll in Kolkata warehouse fire 

The death toll in the fire has reached 16, the police informed on Wednesday. At the same time, several people are still missing, and a search is underway to trace them.

What happened? 

The fire broke out in the two warehouses around 3 am on Monday, and it continued to rage until Tuesday afternoon.

Body parts were scattered throughout the burnt-out warehouses. The exact number of people present at the scene at the time of the incident is still not known. Notably, the charred remains have made identification of the bodies difficult. 

IANS further reported, citing the police officials, that the DNA testing will be conducted to confirm the identities after getting a court order.

"So far, 16 deaths have been confirmed. However, their identities and places of residence are still unknown. Officially, 20 people are still missing," a senior officer of Baruipur Police District said.

It is still not clear how the fire started or from which warehouse it spread. 

Police action in the fire incident

A probe has been launched into the cause of the fire and based on a complaint from the fire department, a case of death due to negligence has been registered at the Narendrapur police station. 

Furthermore, the police have also filed a suo motu case under the same section. Acting on these two cases, the Narendrapur police arrested Gangadhar from the Garia area on Tuesday night.

After a medical examination on Wednesday, he will be produced before the Baruipur Sub-Divisional Court. 

However, Gangadhar claimed that the negligence was not his. He has told the police that the fire was caused by the negligence of the Momo factory. He claimed his long-standing business has been completely ruined.

Meanwhile, questions are being raised about whether the two burnt-down warehouses in Anandapur had any fire safety measures in place at all.

On Tuesday, the Director General of the Fire Department, Ranveer Kumar, visited the site. He stated that the fire department had not issued any fire safety clearance for the warehouses. The fire chief also said that there might have been some lapse on the part of the department, and the matter will be investigated.

Many are also questioning why the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) did not take any action in this regard. 

After visiting the site, Kolkata Mayor and state Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim said, "It is not right to stop someone's livelihood. Otherwise, you yourselves will raise questions again."

Meanwhile, Hakim, on Tuesday, announced that financial assistance will be provided to the families of those killed and missing in the Anandapur warehouse fire. After visiting the fire site, Hakim announced that each family would receive Rs. 10 lakh in assistance. Notably, the minister said that the cheques will be handed over to the bereaved families once the bodies or body parts are identified.

(with IANS inputs)