Kolkata warehouse fire: At least seven people were killed, and over 20 people were reported missing after a massive fire broke out in two warehouses in Kolkata’s Anandapur area early Monday. According to reports, the incident occurred around 3 am in the Nazirabad area. As many as 12 fire engines were deployed at the site to bring the blaze under control.
Three charred bodies were initially retrieved
Baruipur SP Shubhendra Kumar had initially said that three charred bodies were recovered, while many who were trapped inside the warehouse complex are still missing. “We are verifying the numbers,” he added. The workers were said to have trapped while sleeping inside units packed with flammable materials. The building reportedly housed a decorator’s unit and a factory supplying momo chain.
Fire dept says seven burnt bodies recovered later
Fire department sources confirm that police retrieved at least seven burnt bodies from the warehouse, but their immediate identification was not possible. The death toll could rise as the search continues through the debris.
Workers were sleeping inside warehouse when fire broke out
Nazirabad is a densely populated neighbourhood in Anandapur, located off the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass, which links south and east Kolkata. According to reports, 25 people were inside the decorators’ unit at night, while 3 were sleeping at the Momo factory when the fire broke out.
Among those missing are migrant workers from the West and East districts of West Bengal’s Midnapore. Fire officials said soft drinks and packaged food stocked in the building may have triggered the flames, allowing the fire to quickly engulf the infrastructure.
“My father has been working here for the past seven years. There is still no news of him. We have found his cycle,” TOI quoted Nayan Haldar, son of the store-in-charge of the momo unit, as saying.
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