Himachal factory fire: Four of five deceased identified

Shimla, Feb 4 (PTI) Four of the five deceased in the fire at a perfume manufacturing unit in the Baddi industrial area of Himachal Pradesh's Solan have been identified and all were women, officials on Sunday said.

The injured woman, who was declared dead on Friday by the PGIMER Chandigarh was identified as Pinki, while three of the four bodies recovered from the factory ashes on Saturday were identified as Rahnuma, Shashi and Rakhi respectively.

So far, five people have been killed in the massive fire that broke out around 2:45 pm on Friday and the search for missing four persons is underway.

Solan Deputy Commissioner Manmohan Sharma had on Saturday morning said that 13 persons were missing.

"People jumped from the first and second floors of the building to save their lives and sustained multiple injuries on hands, legs and even spine," Sharma said and added that the reason behind the fire is yet to be ascertained.

However, five out of them were traced on Saturday and the search for remaining four missing persons is on still, the officials said.

The possibility of number going up cannot be ruled out, they said.

As per the the details released by the state emergency operation centre, about 30 people have sustained injuries and have been admitted to various hospitals.

Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, who visited the site on Saturday, accused the company of criminal negligence and said that the fire broke out due to its negligence and carelessness.

"The company violated the standards necessary for security and safety of the workers, and orders have been issued for adequate action against the company. Police have registered an FIR and action is being taken against the owners of the company," he said.

The deputy chief minister said that the death of five persons has been confirmed so far and the search operation would continue till the last person is traced.

The building structure has become very weak and the effect of toxic gases emitted by chemicals is being felt, he added.

Chander Shekhar, the factory head of N R Aromas company, has been arrested after an FIR was registered against him under sections 285 (negligence), 336 (endangering life), 337 (causing hurt and (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the police said in a statement issued here.

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by Additional Superintendent of Police Ashok Verma has bene constituted to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter while a magisterial enquiry has been ordered by the Solan DC.

Thick smoke of hazardous gases such as carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulphide and sulphur dioxide oozing from the cosmetic material hindered the fire-fighting operations, and the workers climbed on top of the building for safety, eyewitnesses said. PTI