Factory collapses after blaze in Ludhiana; 7 dead, 20 trapped
LUDHIANA : At least seven people, including two fire officials, were killed after a five-storey plastic factory building went up in flames and collapsed here on Monday.
At least 20 people were feared trapped under the debris and their chances of survival were bleak, said officials.
Firefighters were engaged in dousing the flames, when the structure near the Sufiyan Chowk in Industrial Area A collapsed. “Seven bodies have been pulled out,” said deputy commissioner Pardeep Kumar Aggarwal.
The deceased are: Senior fire officer Sumohan Gill and fireman Puran Singh and Inderpal Singh, a taxi driver, who had gone to the spot to console his friend Inderjit Singh --- the factory owner. The remaining four have not been identified yet.
Among those trapped are 9 fire fighters, a local Valmiki leader and some unidentified persons. Among the three injured include a man who was pulled out of rubble after nearly 10 hours. They have been hospitalised.
Rescue operations were still on and could go on through the night. Apart from teams from National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, five companies of the Punjab Police were called from PAP Jalandhar
to assist in rescue. At least 15 fire tenders were rushed to the spot while earth-moving machinery has been pressed into service to clear the debris. Chemicals stored in Gola Plastic Factory stoked the fire, officials said.