Wedding day tragedy: Fire kills five of family in South Delhi

A wedding day turned tragic for a family when a fire triggered by a gas leak claimed the lives of five people, including two children, in Jasola village, south Delhi, on Friday.

A wedding day turned tragic for a family when a fire triggered by a gas leak claimed the lives of five people, including two children, in Jasola village, south Delhi, on Friday.

The incident happened around 11:30 am when the one of the victims lit the stove to prepare lunch for the family. The fire engulfed the first-floor of the five-storey building.

Eye-witnesses and surviving members of the family said nearly 10 people were in the house during the incident.

Most of the family members were on their its way to a wedding in Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh but returned midway when they heard of the tragedy. The mother of the would-be groom, Mansera (45), was killed in the fire.

“Most of the family members had left around 7am for the wedding and only the women and children remained in the house. The fire quickly engulfed the rooms. We managed to rescue some of the members,” Rifakat Ali.

The other victims are Mansena (37), Bhuri (60), Eram (11) and Sarah (3).
Some eyewitnesses said the fire broke out near the main door because of which the people were trapped.

“The kitchen was immediately in front of the entry/exit door and the fire gutted the doors. Soon smoke was coming out of the entire house,” said Gunnman, a neighbour.

Mohammed Idris, father of the would-be groom, said: “It was the first wedding in our family..I don’t know what to do next.”

The police said the incident could have claimed more lives had the gas cylinder exploded.

“The gas cylinder was intact. This indicated that the fire was caused due to a gas leak,” said a police official.

The house is located in a narrow lane. A case has been registered under IPC 304a (causing death due to negligence) at the Jasola police station.“We are investigating the matter and are consulting the family members to ascertain the identity of the victims,” said MS Randhawa, DCP (south-east) Delhi Police.