Himachal | 5 killed as fire breaks out in Mandi home
Cause of fire suspected to be a short-circuit.
Statesman News Service | Shimla | July 23, 2018 2:30 pm
At least five members of a family, including three women, were burnt alive when a fire broke out in a house in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi district early Monday morning. The cause of the fire is suspected to be a short-circuit.
The incident took place at Ner Chowk.
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Family sources said the fire broke out when the people were asleep after a wedding procession (baraat) returned with the groom and the bride late Sunday.
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Mandi Superintendent of Police Gurdev Chand Sharma said fire tenders had been rushed to the spot but five lives were already lost before the flames could be doused. Two others have sustained serious burns.
The deceased have been identified as the parents of the bridegroom, Narender Soni (66) and his wife Veena Soni (62), Narender’s sister Sudesh (70), her daughter-in-law Mona (40), and Mona’s minor son Sai Sohel, aged 8-10 years.
Mandi Deputy Superintendent of Police Hitesh Lakhanpal said a forensic team had been rushed to the spot to ascertain the cause of fire. He said there were reports of one or more LPG cylinders bursting in the house.
Deputy Commissioner Rugved Thakur told PTI that two rooms of the house were completely charred.
Rescuers involving the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Army on Sunday began the operation on the second day as a few people were believed to be trapped in the debris of a four-storey building that collapsed in Punjab's Mohali town.
Thousands of contractual government employees of Himachal Pradesh, who are waiting for amendment in the seniority list after court orders, will no longer get seniority and financial benefits from the date of joining.