Lucknow, 22 June (HS): At least 14 students were killed when
a major fire broke out at a business building in Lucknow on Monday afternoon. The
coaching institute situated in the Purnia area of Aliganj and operated from the
top floors of a commercial building. According to eyewitnesses, seven to eight
students leaped from the building during the fire, with numerous others
believed to be trapped inside. Brajesh Pathak, Uttar Pradesh's Deputy Chief
Minister, went to the fire scene to observe the continuing rescue and relief
activities.
Following the event, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath canceled his commitments in
Aligarh and Hathras and stated that he will visit the location. Prime Minister
Narendra Modi has also expressed condolences and promised ex-gratia to the
victims.
Deputy Chief Minister Orders High-Level probe Into Fire
event: The Deputy Chief Minister has issued an order for a high-level probe
into the event. The Principal Secretary (Home) and the DGP have been called to
the location and told to examine the causes and take stern measures to prevent
such situations in the future. He informed reporters, I saw 14 bodies
with my own eyes.
According to the deputy chief minister, 13 children have been rescued. According
to Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, 13 children have just
been taken out. They have all been sent to the hospital. This is a huge
incident. There's smoke within. Every single thing is being moved and
scrutinized, and every room is being searched; there was a lot of wooden
furniture inside, and smoke from that furniture obscured the view. Firefighters
are inside. NDRF crews are on the scene. The fire came out unexpectedly; this
was an animation center. Children used to come here to study animation and
create cartoons. I have not yet gotten details on how the event started... The
injured are being sent to the KGMC Trauma Center. They were around 16-17 years
old.
The commercial structure that was destroyed by fire had a
library, a computer coaching facility, and a gaming zone. The coaching facility
operated from the top levels of the building. In response, 14 fire engines,
including a hydraulic platform truck, were dispatched to extinguish the flames.
Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi
