Delhi fire: Police detains factory owner as death toll reaches 43

At least 43 people were killed and over a dozen others injured on Sunday, December 8, when a fire broke out at a six-storey bag manufacturing factory in Delhi's Rani Jhansi Road market. The owner of the factory has been detained since. 

Most of the people who died were labourers who were sleeping at the factory when the fire broke out at 5 am. So far, more than 50 people have been rescued and shifted to the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital and Lady Harding Hospital. Around 35 fire trucks have been rushed to the spot to control the fire. 

Atul Garg, Chief Fire Officer, Delhi Fire Service said, "Till now we have rescued more than 50 people, most of them were affected due to smoke," reported India Today. 

The Medical Director of Lok Nayak Hospital, Kishore Singh, has said that the condition of those injured is not serious, have been kept under observation. "Deaths have been mostly due to smoke inhalation and suffocation," he added. 

The exact cause of the fire is yet to be determined. Due to the scale of the incident, the death toll is expected to rise. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has described the incident as "horrific" and wished for quick recovery of the injured. "The fire in Delhi's Anaj Mandi on Rani Jhansi Road is extremely horrific. My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones. Wishing the injured a quick recovery. Authorities are providing all possible assistance at the site of the tragedy," he wrote on Twitter.

The PMO has also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakhs each from Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for next of kin of those who have lost their lives due to tragic fire in Delhi. PM has approved Rs 50,000 each for those seriously injured in the fire.

Calling the incident "tragic", Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that the rescue operations are underway. 

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has also extended his condolences to the families of deceased and said that the authorities have been instructed to provide all possible assistance on "urgent basis". 

The fire is said to be one of the biggest fire incidents in Delhi 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.