KOLKATA: A massive fire engulfed a market housing a godown-cum-office complex in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata’s Sealdah area early Wednesday, killing at least 19 people while causing severe burn injuries to four other people, police said.
The fire broke out in Surya Sen market in Sealdah at 3.50 AM and claimed 19 lives, said Javed Khan, Fire Service Minister. However, he said, the fire has been brought under control.
Police said that the dead included a woman, adding that rescue workers have evacuated 15 people who were trapped in the blaze. The cause of the fire is still unknown.
The injured were rushed to state-run NRS and Medical College hospitals, they said. The extent of the damage is under investigation, police said, adding that a search is on to find out if anyone is trapped inside the complex.
Khan, who rushed to the spot and personally supervised fire fighting operations, said there was no fire safety arrangement in the market and blamed the authorities for the lapse.
“We will take action against the market authorities for not having any fire safety arrangement”, the minister said.
The minister said the entire building housing the market was unauthorized and illegal and had come up during the previous Left Front regime.
DND
