Fire in Mumbai high-rise; Nine people suffer from suffocation

Mumbai: Nine people suffered from suffocation after a fire broke out in a 24-storey residential building in Byculla area of Mumbai on Thursday, officials said.

The nine people, including five senior citizens, have been admitted to a hospital and kept under observation, they said.

The blaze erupted at 3.40 am on the third floor of the building located in New Hind Mill Compound at MHADA colony in Ghodapdeo area of Byculla where government has given flats to people, mainly mill workers, they said.

The fire was confined to the electric meter cabin, wiring, cable, scrap material in the electric duct, garbage and material in the garbage duct from 1st to 24th floor of the building, a civic official said.

He said at least 135 people were rescued from different floors of the building.

Out of them, 25 were evacuated from the terrace, 30 from a refuge area on the 15th floor, and 80 people from a refuge area on the 22nd floor of the building, he said.

Nine persons, including five aged 60 and above, suffered from suffocation. All of them were admitted to the civic-run KEM Hospital in Parel and kept under observation, officials said.

Those who got suffocated after the blaze have been identified as Lakshmi Raut (70), Archana More (75), Parvatibai Tambole (85), Lata Tambole (67), Pranay Tambole (28), Archana Nilesh More, Mumtaz (60), Abhish (36) and Vishal Vijay More (34), a civic official said.

Five fire engines and three water tankers along with other fire brigade vehicles were rushed to the spot after receiving the call and the blaze was doused by 7.20 am, a fire brigade official said.

The cause of the fire is not yet known, but a short-circuit is suspected to have triggered it, a civic official said.