A massive fire engulfed a warehouse in the early hours of Monday in Kolkata’s South 24 Parganas district, leaving at least seven workers dead and several others missing.
The fire erupted at nearly 3 AM
at a warehouse located in Nazirabad under the Anandapur police station area.
The workers were present inside the facility for night-shift operations when the incident took place.
Firefighters battled the blaze for nearly seven hours before bringing it under control, a senior police officer said.
During search operations, three severely charred bodies were recovered from the godowns around 5 PM. Four more bodies were found later as rescue teams cleared parts of the debris.
Baruipur police district Superintendent of Police Shubhendu Kumar said the victims could not be identified as the bodies were burnt beyond recognition.
“Whether more people were trapped and killed in the blaze will be known only after the debris is completely cleared,” he said.
Initially, police said six people were missing. However, families of the workers claimed the number could be higher, possibly more than ten.
The two godowns reportedly housed labourers working for a decorating firm and a well-known momo chain, police added.
Fire Services Minister Sujit Bose said rescue operations were still underway and efforts were on to extinguish remaining pockets of fire inside the damaged structures. High-mast lights were installed at the site to assist operations as daylight faded.
When asked about fire safety compliance, Bose said, “While fire audit is conducted twice in a year and every loophole is attended to, it is the duty of the owners and company officials to ensure fire safety SOPs are followed in letter and spirit.”
