69-year-old woman dies after Bhayander building fire

The deceased, identified as Shakila Qureshi, had sustained around 25% burns in the blaze, which broke out in the ground-floor meter box of Aquarius Tower

MUMBAI: A 69-year-old woman injured in the Bhayander residential building fire on Friday night succumbed to her burn injuries at KEM Hospital on Monday, becoming the first fatality in the incident that left 21 people injured.

69-year-old woman dies after Bhayander building fire

The deceased, identified as Shakila Qureshi, had sustained around 25% burns in the blaze, which broke out in the ground-floor meter box of Aquarius Tower, a seven-storey residential building in Govindnagar, Bhayander East.

Firefighters rescued 104 residents trapped inside the building. While several of the injured have since been discharged, Qureshi’s husband, Mustaq Qureshi, 72, and another resident, Salim Shaikh, 67, continue to be treated in the ICU. The injured included seven women, 10 men and four children.

According to fire officials, the blaze originated in the building’s meter box. Fire crews rushed to the spot with a water tender, extinguished the flames and evacuated residents from the smoke-filled structure.

Following Qureshi’s death, Mira Road police registered an accidental death report and said they were awaiting the fire brigade’s report before deciding on further legal action.

“We will register an FIR if negligence is found,” a police officer said.

The deceased’s son, Imran Qureshi, said seven members of his family had been admitted to hospitals across Mumbai because there were no burn wards in hospitals in the Mira Road area. He also alleged that promised government assistance for treatment had not been provided.

“There was no inspection of meter boxes done to know the flow of power due to which an erosion took place in the main meter centre, landing 21 people in the hospital,” he added.