Kolkata Warehouse Fire Kills 7

Kolkata: Seven persons were killed while 20 others went missing after a devastating fire broke out at a warehouse on the southern outskirts of the city early on Monday. At around 3 am, flames engulfed the warehouse at Nazirabad of Sonarpur in South 24 Parganas.

Dry food items and bottled soft drinks were stored there. Employees who were on night duty got trapped inside along with six security guards. Nearly 15 fire engines were pressed into service. Fire brigade personnel entered the warehouse using gas cutters and tried to bring the situation under control.

The blaze however spread to two more adjacent warehouses and ravaged them. Till evening, seven charred bodies were recovered by the firefighters. They are yet to be identified for being beyond recognition. 20 others are still missing. The death toll may rise.

The search for the missing has been underway. The location in a narrow lane challenged firefighting operations. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained while the local residents alleged that the warehouse was locked from outside.

State power minister Aroop Biswas later visited the site and met the family members of the victims. He informed that the fire had come under control by and large. State fire and emergency services minister Sujit Bose however questioned the presence of people in large numbers at the warehouse at night.

Families of the missing persons have lodged complaints at the Narendrapur police station. Many of them alleged that they got calls from their family members seeking help after the fire broke out. They however could not connect with them over phone for the second time.