The fire broke out around 3 am on January 26 when the workers were sleeping inside the factory. All those dead or missing are from Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur and South 24 Parganas districts, the official told PTI.
The police have arrested the owner of the warehouses on the charge of causing death due to negligence. The cause of the blaze and the extent of damage are yet to be ascertained.
Fire department sources said DNA samples will be collected from family members to identify the bodies and skeletal remains recovered from the site.
The incident has sparked concerns over possible security and safety lapses at the building, which also housed a warehouse of popular food chain Wow! Momos.
According to reports, both factories were operating without mandatory fire safety clearances.
However, Wow! Momos, in a statement, clarified that the fire did not originate from its warehouse, as initially reported by a section of the media. The company said the blaze started in an adjacent godown and later spread to its warehouse, causing extensive damage to the facility.
Wow! Momos said, "The fire has spread out from the nearby godown, which the forensic and police have already validated. Wow! Momo operated a 12,000 sq ft warehouse at the location, which was used for storing packaging materials, various beverages, and other essential supplies. The warehouse was on a rented premise, and the landlord also owns the larger decorators' godown from where the fire is believed to have originated.”
