9 dead after AC blast triggers fire in a four-storey building in Delhi’s Shahdara

The fire was triggered after a blast in AC, locals said that, 12-15 people were rescued while 4-5 are still missing. While Delhi police confirmed 9 deaths.

A fire broke out early Sunday morning in a four-storey building in the Vivek Vihar area of Shahdara, leaving at least 9 people dead, officials said. Delhi police confirmed a total of nine deaths.

According to local residents, the fire resulted from a blast in the AC.

Locals also added that, 12-15 people were rescued while 4-5 are still missing.

According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) for Shahdara District, Rajendra Prasad Meena, fire tenders rushed to the spot after receiving a call around 4 am and brought the blaze under control.

He added that search operations are still underway to find any remaining victims.

Speaking to ANI, Meena said, "Fire broke out in a house in a four-story building in Vivek Vihar, with casualties on the second floor. So far, 3-4 bodies have been found, and the search for the remaining remains is ongoing. We're still searching. We'll let you know once the search is complete."

"Early in the morning, we got a call about a fire. Fire tenders rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control. 3-4 bodies have been recovered from here. We're still searching. We got the call at around 4 AM," Meena further said.

Local Municipal Councillor Pankaj Luthra said, “On the back side of the second floor, five bodies were found... Another body was found on the back side, and three bodies were located on the top floor... Identification is currently impossible.”

“We are still conducting further checks, but until DNA testing is performed, we will be unable to determine the gender of the victims... A total of nine bodies have been confirmed.We are still checking for others. People are attributing this to a short circuit, but nothing has been officially confirmed yet regarding the exact cause of the incident,” he added.

According to the Delhi Police, during the preliminary enquiry, nine persons have lost their lives in the fire incident.

Fire was found in the flats situated on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th floors. During rescue and fire extinguishing operations, 10/15 persons were rescued from the building, out of whom two persons, having sustained minor injuries, were shifted to Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital for medical treatment. 12 fire tenders were at the spot with DDMA staff, traffic officials, and local police.

This is a developing story, further details awaited.
 

(with ANI inputs)