Four charred bodies recovered from gutted West Bengal factory
At least four people, all security guards at the factory, remained untraceable after the fire broke out.
Four charred bodies were recovered from a factory gutted in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas near Kolkata on Saturday after the flames, which raging since early Thursday, were finally doused.
At least four people, all security guards at the factory, remained untraceable after the fire broke out. Their mobiles were found to be switched off and their bicycles were also found to be damaged by the fire. Police said the bodies recovered probably belong to the guards.
On Saturday morning, when police and fire brigade personnel finally managed to enter the factory, they recovered the bodies from a staircase that led to the terrace. The door of the terrace was locked.
The four are believed to have tried to reach the terrace to escape when the fire broke out. But as the door was locked, they got trapped.
“We had an apprehension that the four persons, who were missing, might have been trapped. The family members would identify the bodies and then the state government would... help them in every possible way,” said Sujit Bose, a state minister.
A complaint against the owner of the factory has been lodged by a family member of one of the four. A forensic team and structural engineers would visit the building on Sunday.
“Four charred bodies have been recovered. The family members of the persons who were reported missing have been called for identification,” said a police officer, who did not want to be named.
The fire broke out in a garment factory at Bilkanda, an industrial estate in New Barrackpore, in the early hours of Thursday. At least 17 fire tenders were pressed into action. The efforts to douse it continued for over two days.