5 missing as factory collapses in blaze

NEW DELHI: A labourer died and four firefighters suffered severe burns when a factory producing plastic items caught fire on Wednesday evening in outer Delhi’s Narela industrial area.

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Police said five men, including two firemen, are missing and a search is on to rescue them.

The dead man, 27-year-old Sajjan, was pulled out of the rubble around 5.30 pm on Thursday, almost 24 hours after he got trapped.

The situation aggravated after two cooking gas cylinders exploded, bringing down a portion of the building and trapping firefighters and workers.

The factory flouted safety norms as it lacked adequate ventilation, there were no fire exits and the vats containing hazardous chemicals were stored inside. The building’s construction was suspect too as 80% of the structure collapsed in the blaze.

Fire officials said a short circuit probably triggered the blaze, which was tamed around 9am on Thursday.

“The factory is surrounded by buildings and this made accessing the site difficult for our team,” said GC Mishra, the director of Delhi Fire Services.

An FIR was registered against unknown persons for negligence in handling combustible material and causing death.