The blaze in Lucknow’s Aliganj area on Monday that killed 15 people, mostly students, may have started in the building’s AC duct, with smoke leading to suffocation due to the absence of a proper exit route, Uttar Pradesh Urban Development and Energy Minister A. K. Sharma said, according to news agency PTI.
He added that all possible lapses in building standards would be probed.
Here’s all that happened
15 reported dead: At least 15 people were killed and nine others injured in a deadly fire that engulfed a three-storey building on Usha Mehta Marg in Lucknow’s Aliganj area on Monday. Most of the victims were trapped on the second floor, where students were attending classes at the centre, PTI reported.
“A total of 22 people were brought to the Trauma Centre of King George’s Medical University (KGMU) following the incident. Of them, 15 were declared brought dead, while five injured persons were admitted for treatment and are stable,” KGMU PRO Prof K. K. Singh told PTI.
The deceased were identified as Sagar, Nilesh, Anamika, Sanyam, Anuchha, Sukhmani, Aditya Srivastava, Jyoti, Bhavishya, Abdul Rehman, Suraj Bhaar, Sehjan, Jaynil Chakraborty, Mohammad Ammar, and Sumalya, according to a hospital-issued list reported by PTI.
Nineteen fire tenders, along with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), and other rescue personnel, were deployed to douse the blaze, which was reported around 3 pm.
Four arrested: Four people have been arrested so far, police said. Officials identified them as Ram Krishna Upadhyay (43), Virendra Prasad Shukla (62), Tushok Krishna Jaiswal (31), and Suresh Kumar Sahu.
Also Read: People cling to ropes as fire rips through Lucknow building, killing 15: Video
Four officials suspended: Four officials were also suspended with immediate effect in connection with the Aliganj fire incident, following Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s orders.
The suspended officials are Gaurav Kumar, Executive Engineer (Collection) in the Electricity Department’s Jankipuram division; Kamlendra Kumar Singh, Fire Station Safety Officer (FSSO) of the Indira Nagar Fire Department; Anil Kumar, Assistant Engineer (AE) with the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA); and Pramod Pandey, Junior Engineer (JE) with the LDA.
Visuals show students jumping: Visuals from the site showed firefighters and rescue personnel lowering stranded occupants to safety from upper floors. Police sources said some students jumped from the building while trying to escape the rapidly spreading fire.
“Due to two children jumping, they suffered back injuries and are being treated after CT scans and other procedures,” said Dr Anil Agrawal, medical superintendent at the trauma centre, according to PTI.
Ex-gratia announced: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who visited the site, announced an ex-gratia of ₹5 lakh each for the families of those killed and ₹50,000 for the injured. He also constituted a two-member Special Investigation Team to probe the tragedy.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also announced an ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the next of kin of each deceased, while the injured will receive ₹50,000.
