44 killed in Sonepat fire

CHANDIGARH, Nov 7 (UNI) — In one of the worst fire tragedies in Haryana, 44 persons, including 19 women, were killed and 12 injured in a devastating fire which broke out at Katchi Quarter market in Ashok Nagar locality in Sonepat last evening.

Official sources said here this evening that 43 persons were reported dead in the tragedy till this morning while another body was recovered later from the debris, raising the death toll to 44.

Sonepat Deputy Commissioner Sudhir Rajpal told UNI over telephone today that among the deceased was police constable Ashok Kumar, who was on patrol duty in the area. He said Ashok Kumar perished while saving people engulfed in the flames. He was cremated with full police honours at Sonepat today.

The injured have been admitted to the civil hospital and two private nursing homes at Sonepat and the Rohtak Medical College hospital.

Mr Rajpal said that the fire was reportedly caused by a spark in a cracker shop which later spread to the adjoining shops. He said most of the people present there tried to save themselves by hiding in a crockery shop. Packing material in the shop also caught fire in which they were engulfed, causing most of the casualties.

The fire, which broke out around 4.30 pm last evening, gutted 17 shops in the market.

The Deputy Commissioner said that fire tenders were requisitioned from Delhi, Panipat, Bahadurgarh and Rohtak to extinguish the flames. He said that the fire was brought under control after a 12-hour strenuous struggle by the fire-fighting staff this morning.

Senior officers of the district administration reached the spot immediately after they got information about the incident to supervise rescue operations.

Gloom descends on Ashok Nagar

SONEPAT, Nov 7 (PTI) — For the residents of Ashok Nagar, a small market comprising 250 shops and residential houses in the heart of Sonepat district, Divali would never be the same again.

A pall of gloom had descended over the area and people were seen wailing as some had lost their kin in the 13-hour devastating fire which claimed the lives of 44 persons.

"We had been warning the local authorities about the bad condition of electrical wires in the area... but all warning used to fall on deaf ears," says Devi Dayal, a local resident.

"People were seen running helter-skelter after fire from a cloth shop spread to a nearby cracker shop," Dayal said.

The flames spread like wildfire, engulfing the area. "Shouts and screams from people trapped in the raging fire were not audible due to th ebursting of crackers," he said.

For Bansal, Divali, the festival of lights, had turned into darkness.

Mahesh Bansal, a resident of Gur Mandi, near here, was seen sobbing outside the civil hospital as he had lost his wife, Sulochana, eight-year-old son Prakash, and ten-year-old daughter Chitra.

"I do not want to say anything ... As my whole world (family) has perished in the sea of fire," said a sobbing Bansal while taking out the bodies for last rites.

Some residents here fondly remembered constable Ashok Kumar, who saved several lives before succumbing to burns. "His rescue action was swift and he managed to save several people, mainly women, from burning," says Raguvir Singh, another resident who lost his grocery shop in the devastating fire.

However, people in the area were not happy with the local authorities as help reached the fire site after a long time.

"Imagine, it took several hours for authorities to realise the gravity of the situation.... They could have called for early help from Delhi and saved some lives," says Lale ram, a shopkeeper in the area.

He said it was only after five hours that help from Delhi and Rohtak reached. "But by that time the fire had taken its toll."

A senior police official, requesting anonymity, said nearly a dozen cracker shops had been set up in the market for Divali against appeals from local authorities. "We had asked them to set up their kiosks in an open area where the danger of fire was less... But they did not listen to our appeals," he said.

Meanwhile, hospital authorities here were trying to cope with the extra rush due to the incident. Doctors attending on the injured had at times to face the wrath of the local public. "Well that is all in the game," a senior doctor, who was roughed up last night, said.

In fact, no hospital or private nursing home in Sonepat district has any facility to provide treatment to burn patients.

Says Surinder, a head constable with Haryana police, "we can only rescue the injured and the rest is for doctors at the hospital to do... But what could have been done when you do not have the facility to cope with this situation."

Surinder, who received burns and wounds, said, "the casualty figure could have been less if people had not locked themselves inside shops to escape the raging flames."

Dr R K Singh, at the civil hospital, also said the fire was not serious, but the shoppers made the mistake of locking themselves in shops and were trapped. "They were saved from flames, but the smoke took their lives."

A senior police official at the scene said the other shopkeepers also made the mistake of downing shutters with plastic products like casseroles and other gift items stacked inside.

Meanwhile, civil authorities have sought help from nearby Rohtak district for forensic experts to help in identifying four dead bodies at the hospital.

A 22-year-old man Parveen was also responsible for saving several people from burns, but is himself admitted to hospital with burns and wounds.

"I had left the market place and was on my way home when I heard wailing of people for help," says Parveen, adding, "I returned only to find that the busy market was turning into a huge fire ball. I did whatever I could and I have no regrets."

Fires mar festivities

NEW DELHI, Nov 7 (PTI) — Divali, the festival of lights, was celebrated with traditional gaiety and bonhomie across the country today, but the festivities were marred by fires in parts of the northern region.

Apart from the 44 persons killed in a devastating fire overnight in a market crowded with Divali shoppers in Sonepat, one person died in Amritsar when fire engulfed about 100 shops selling fire crackers last evening, officials said.

In Jammu, 36 stalls of fire-crackers were gutted in a mini-stadium in the city today but there were no reports of any casualty. Fire tenders rushed to the site and doused the fire, the police said.

People clad in new clothes greeted each other and burst fire-crackers all over the country. The houses were lit with candles and earthen lamps while all markets were illuminated with colourful lights to mark the occasion.

In the Pink City, Jaipur, in Rajasthan, all major markets were tastefully decorated to mark the occasion.

Chennai: Divali, the festival of lights, was celebrated with religious fervour and gaiety all over Tamil Nadu today.

People took the ceremonial "Ganga snanam" (holy bath) during the wee hours and, clad in new clothes, visited temples where special poojas were conducted. They exchanged greetings with their near and dear ones.

In a message to the people, Sri Jayendra Saraswathi, the Shankaracharya of Kanchi Mutt in Kanchipuram near here, appealed to them to shun evil qualities, bad deeds and avoid causing trouble and misery to others.

In the city the day began with bursting of crackers. People of all religions were seen greeting their Hindu brethren.

Kuala Lumpur (AFP): Joyous celebrations today to mark Divali, the "festival of lights," were a sign of Malaysia's economic rebound, said Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.

"This year's Divali and other celebrations look merrier because things are looking up following the country's economic recovery," he was quoted as saying by state Bernama news agency.

"It looks like the people have more money to spend, shops are full, restaurants are full, so this is a good sign because for us to foster good ties and maintain peace, our economy must be good."

Thousands of ethnic Indians, a minority group in Malaysia's 22 million population, celebrated Divali, marking the triumph of good over evil with prayers and merry-making. Tomorrow has been declared a holiday as the festival falls on a weekend.

170 fire incidents in Capital

NEW DELHI, Nov 7 (PTI) — At least 170 incidents of fire were reported in Delhi tonight, including a major one that broke out in the congested Punchkuian road area in the heart of the capital here in which 80 fire cracker stalls were gutted, fire brigade officials said.

However, no one was injured in the Punchkuian road fire, A K Bhatnagar, divisional fire brigade officer said.

There was considerable loss of property, he said, adding eight fire tenders took over an hour to control the blaze which was feared to have been caused accidentally due to a cracker bursting in one of the shops.

A fire also broke out in the Pitampura telephone exchange when crackers were being burst inside the compound there, fire brigade sources said.

No loss of life has been reported in any part of the Capital in any fire incident, they said.

Six shops gutted in Chandigarh

CHANDIGARH, Nov 7 (PTI) — Six makeshift shops of crackers were destroyed today in the city and four in Jalandhar after yesterday's fire of Sonepat.

Cracker shops in Sector 18 of the city caught fire in the evening, destroying six shops. No loss of live has been reported, fire brigade said here today.

In Amritsar, 40 shops were gutted yesterday in the wholesale market near the bus stand.

Karnal also experienced a fire which engulfed 16 shops of a Divali fair. Jalandhar witnessed four shops being destroyed in a fire today, police said here.

No loss of live has been reported in all fires other than that in Sonepat, it said.