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Kolkata fire: 9 deaths till now, railways ministry’s committee to probe accident
“A high-level probe committee led by senior chief security officer has been formed, as per the rules. Reports will be submitted within three weeks,” DJ Narain, a senior spokesperson of the ministry, was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
The railways ministry said on Tuesday a high-level committee has been formed to investigate the fire that broke out at the New Koilaghat building of Eastern Railway in Kolkata on Monday, killing nine people. Four firefighters, one personnel of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and an assistant sub-inspector of the Kolkata Police were among those who lost their lives in the blaze.
“A high-level probe committee led by senior chief security officer has been formed, as per the rules. Reports will be submitted within three weeks,” DJ Narain, a senior spokesperson of the ministry, was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. Narain said that there had been no impact on the reservation system and the Passenger Reservation System (PRS) counters were functional.
Apart from the railways ministry, the Kolkata Police registered a suo motu case in connection with the fire and the fire department formed a committee to probe the mishap, officials told PTI on Tuesday.
Watch| Kolkata: 9 killed in fire; Mamata Banerjee visits site, announces ex-gratia
The fire broke out on the 13th floor of the Eastern Railway’s building at around 6.10pm and was brought under control after almost 11 hours at 5am on Tuesday. Out of the nine bodies, seven were found in an elevator while the remaining two in another. Officials said on Tuesday that some of the bodies were very badly burnt and it was difficult to establish their identities. Therefore doctors were mulling DNA tests to identify them, they added.
Meanwhile, the West Bengal government announced a financial relief of ₹10 lakh for the family of the victims and a job to a member. On Monday, chief minister Mamata Banerjee had reached the spot to monitor the rescue and relief operations and expressed condolences towards the deceased.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also announced an ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh each from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund for the families of the victims. “Saddened by the loss of lives due to the fire tragedy in Kolkata. In this hour of sadness, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. May the injured recover at the earliest,” Modi tweeted on Tuesday.
