6 killed in blaze in under-construction building in Mumbai

Mumbai: Six persons including a child were charred to death and 11 suffered burns when a fire broke out in an under-construction building in suburban Juhu, an official said on Thursday.

The victims were construction workers staying in makeshift rooms at the site when the mishap occurred.

The blaze erupted on the ground floor of the building at around 10.30 pm on Wednesday, chief fire officer Prabhat Rahangdale said.

The fire led to an explosion of LPG cylinders kept at the site, causing severe injuries to those present in the building, he said.

Rahangdale added that firemen recovered two exploded cylinders during the rescue operation.

The fire brigade personnel doused the flames soon after reaching the spot.

There were around 17 people living in the makeshift accommodation in the stilt portion of the building when the fire occurred.

Locals pulled out 10 persons from the structure before the fire brigade personnel arrived.

According to Rahangdale, six charred bodies were recovered from the spot.

Prima facie, the cylinders were stocked illegally by labourers who used them for cooking food.

The deceased were identified as Diler Khan, Ronnie Shaikh (22), Vikram (20), Sunil Gautam (30), Anil Gautam (24) and Shagun (6), a senior police official said.

“A case has been registered against three persons including the builder and the contractor of the building at Juhu police station for negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter,” he said. No arrest has been made so far and the investigation is underway, he said.