Death toll in Alipur market fire rises to 11, 4 including police constable injured

NEW DELHI: The death toll in Dayal Market fire in Delhi's Alipur increased to 11 on Friday morning, officials said. According to Delhi fire services department officials, four others including a police constable were also injured in the fire that broke out in Dayal market at around 5.30 pm.

The deceased are yet to be identified and the bodies have been shifted to Babu Jagjeevan Ram Hospital, they said. The four injured have been identified as Jyoti (42), Divya (20), Mohit Solanki (34) and Karambir, a Delhi police constable.

The fire department officials said that the injured have been admitted to Raja Harish Chandra Hospital for treatment. "The fire was in two paint and chemical godowns, resulting in the death of 11 persons and 4 injured," they said.

According to eyewitnesses, the fire broke out around 5.30 pm on Thursday and was spread across around eight shops in the market apart from the two godowns. An eyewitness Sumit Bharadwaj said, "The incident took place at around 5.30 pm. Everyone gathered here after hearing an explosion. We tried a lot to douse the fire. Around 7-8 fire tenders reached here and started the fire fighting operation."

As the rescue operations are underway at the market, a relative of an employee who worked at the paint godown that caught fire expressed concern. "I have come here to search for my brother, Anil Thakur. I have not been able to find him. It was a paint factory. There is no information. His phone has been switched off since 5 pm," Sunil Thakur said.

Police is yet to confirm the exact reason behind the massive fire incident. Further details are awaited.