One killed in fire in Mumbai tower
Man holds onto ledge of balcony in bid to save his life, but falls to death
Afire broke out in a 64-storey luxury apartment building in Mumbai yesterday, a fire official said.
A 30-year-old man who held onto a ledge of a balcony in a desperate attempt to save his life on his 19-storey flat lost grip and fell. A video of the incident was widely circulated on social media.
Television images showed heavy black smoke billowing into the sky from the 19th floor apartment on Curry Road in south Mumbai.
Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar, who has reached the location, said that many people have been safely evacuated from the tower.
Rescue efforts
“The fire brigade reached as soon as the news of the fire was received. Many people have been pulled out. So many people have been rescued and the efforts are still on.
One man jumped off the building in panic. We can’t say that the fire fighting team failed in this. Please don’t spread rumours,” Pednekar said.
The official said 16 fire engines were trying to extinguish the blaze. The official in Mumbai’s central fire control room declined to give his name because he wasn’t authorised to speak to the media.
Fires are common in India, where building laws and safety norms are often flouted by builders and residents.
In August, a fire killed eight coronavirus patients at a hospital in Ahmedabad, a key city in Gujarat state. In December 2018, a late-night fire in a Mumbai restaurant killed 15 people.