Fire in Mumbai Restaurant kills 15

At least 15 people have been killed and more than 50 injured in a fire that broke out in a restaurant in Mumbai early on Friday. The fire quickly spread from the top-floor restaurant through a four-storey building, said fire official Balkrishna Kadam.

More than 50 people have been taken to hospital. The dead included 11 women, fire officials said.The building, in the formerly industrial area of central Mumbai, houses several upscale restaurants that had moved in over the past few years to make it a popular nightlife destination, the New Delhi Television channel reported.

“There was a stampede and someone pushed me. People were running over me even as the ceiling above me was collapsing in flames. Still don’t know how I got out alive,” Mumbai gynecologist Sulbha Arora tweeted. She said was at the restaurant when it started and “before we knew it the whole place was engulfed in a matter of seconds”.

Several TV news channels including Mirror Now operating from the compound had to stop broadcasting, reportedly due to damage to their equipment. Eight fire engines battled the blaze for more than five hours, Kadam said. The cause of the fire, which started at about 1am, is under investigation. S Jay Kumar, a senior Mumbai police officer said he could not speak on the cause of fire. “We have started our investigation… It is only after investigation that we will be able to say anything,” he said. Aditya Thackeray, leader of the Shiv Sena, said he has spoken to the city’s civic body commissioner. “Implementing fire audits of such places are a must, and action will be taken if violations are found,” he tweeted.

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