At least 17 killed in New Delhi factory fire

NEW DELHI: At least 17 workers were on the outskirts of India’s capital,

The blaze started in the basement of a three-storey plastic manufacturing facility in the Bawana industrial area on the northern edge of New

from the basement, trapping nearly two dozen workers on the capital’s emergency service.

Rescuers took nearly two hours rescue operation continued late into the night.

“Seventeen bodies have been retrieved from the building,” Praveen - gency service headquarters, told AFP.

Two people suffered injuries and were taken to hospital, he added.

Rescuers were uncertain about the fate of the other workers. Most of the victims died due to asphyxi

The government has launched an investigation to determine the

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “deeply anguished” by the accident.

“My thoughts are with the families of those who lost their lives. May those who are injured recover quickly,” he tweeted.

Deadly workplace accidents are common in India, where there are poor safety standards and lax enforcement of regulations.

plastic factory in the northern city of Ludhiana left 13 people dead, killed when the building collapsed.

Thirteen workers were killed in November 2016 in New Delhi after a makeshift factory was gut