9 killed in Mumbai medical store fire

Shiv Kumar

Tribune News Service

Mumbai, June 30

Nine members of a family, including five children, were burnt to death after a fire broke out early this morning at a chemist’s shop at Andheri in Mumbai, police and fire officials said.

The dead included a three-month-old infant, the police said. One fireman also received injuries, according to the fire brigade.

The police said the fire broke out the early morning inside Wafa Medical Store located in a cluster of shanties at Juhu Galli in Andheri. The ground floor hutment where the store was located had two storeys illegally constructed above it.

The victims who were sleeping in the first floor were trapped and couldn’t escape through the narrow entrance and exit. However, some people asleep in the top-most floor managed to escape, the police said.

Fire officials said the blaze inside the 120 sq ft chemist’s shop was most likely sparked off by loose wiring. A gas cylinder located inside the shop is also suspected to have exploded, they said.

Eight of the victims were rushed to Cooper Hospital where they were declared brought dead. One woman Sabiya Khan, 28, had suffered 45 per cent burns and died in the hospital.

The dead have been identified as - Saburiya Mosin Khan (52), Siddik Khan (35), Rabil Khan (28), Sabiya Khan (28), Mozhel Khan (8), Unnihay Khan (5), Aliza Khan (4), Tubba Khan (8) and Altaz Khan (3 months). The fireman, Avinash Shirgaokar, sustained injuries while carrying out rescue work and is being treated at Cooper Hospital.