SEVEN people, including two minors, were killed and over 68 injured after a fire swept through a residential building in Mumbai’s Goregaon area in the early hours of Friday, a civic official said. Five of the injured are in critical condition. Hours later, the city’s fire brigade chief said the building had no fire-fighting system. As many as 30 residents were rescued from the terrace and various floors of the seven-storey structure, he said.

 

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde condoled the loss of lives in the fire and announced an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh for the kin of each of the deceased victims. Those injured would be treated at Government expense. The blaze started around 3 am at ‘Jay Bhavani SRA building’ near Azad Maidan at Unnat Nagar in Goregaon West. It had a lot of old clothes on the ground floor, they said.

 

A total of 68 residents were rushed to various hospitals. While 42 were admitted to the civic-run HBT Trauma Care hospital and 15 to Cooper Hospital, 11 were taken to three private hospitals. Of these, seven including two minors and as many women died. President, PM condole tragedy: PRESIDENT Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis and others expressed grief over the tragedy and condoled the families of the victims. The Prime Minister announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakhs to the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured.