Mumbai: 43 Fire Deaths in 2018, Up From 25 Fatalities Last Year
As per the records maintained by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), a total of 3,722 incidents of fire were reported in 2018 -- claiming 43 lives and leaving 364 injured.
Mumbai, December 30: A total of 43 deaths due to fire incidents were recorded in the Maharashtra capital in 2018 -- the casualty-count could rise as two days remain for the year to pass by. The number of fatalities is higher than what was registered in 2017. In the preceding year, 25 people had died after being caught in blaze.
The alarming fire accident figures of 2018 also raise question whether the city administration has taken adequate measures in the aftermath of Kamala Mills tragedy, which claimed 14 lives on the intervening night of December 28-29 last year. Kamala Mills Fire: A Year After the Blaze in Mumbai That Killed 14, This is Where The Probe Stands.
As per the records maintained by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), a total of 3,722 incidents of fire were reported in 2018 -- claiming 43 lives and leaving 364 injured.
The most devastating among the above incidents occurred on December 18, when 11 people were killed in a "level-4" blaze which broke out at the ESIC Kamgar Hospital in Andheri.
Days later, on December 27, a fire at the Sargam Society in Tilak Nagar led to the death of five residents.
A senior BMC official, while speaking to reporters, said the civic body had taken precautionary measures in the aftermath of Kamala Mills tragedy, but the fatal fire incidents this year were unprecedented. "2018 has been especially bad in terms of fires and disasters," he said.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 30, 2018 11:29 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).