Summary:
Mumbai, Jan 22 (PTI) At least six persons were killed and 23 others injured in a major fire that broke out on the 19th floor of a residential building in Tardeo area of central Mumbai on Saturday morning, officials said.
The blaze erupted around 7 am in Sachinam Heights building, a ground plus 20-storey structure located opposite Bhatia Hospital at Gowalia Tank, when many of its residents were still asleep, an official of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the incident and announced on Twitter that ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh would be provided to the family members of each deceased from the Prime Minister"s National Relief Fund (PMNRF), and added that the injured would be given Rs 50,000 each.
Maharashtra Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray, who visited the site, said the government will provide a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the family members of each deceased.
He said prima facie the blaze was caused by a short-circuit .
Some residents of the building alleged that three nearby private hospitals refused to admit the injured persons and demanded deposit money and their negative COVID-19 certificates.