Narrow lanes,power cut affected rescue efforts,say fire officials

“At present,at least 13 persons are dead. Eleven fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the operation lasted about 45 minutes,” said A K Sharma,Delhi Fire Services chief.

Officials also said while the community centre can accommodate about 1,000 persons,more than 4,000 eunuchs were at the venue.

“When people realised that the area was engulfed in fire,there was a stampede. Everyone made their way towards the only gate,leading to more casualties,” said a senior official of the Fire Services.

Officials said the venue is surrounded by grilled fences,which prevented people from getting out. After the blaze,the power supply to the area was cut,which made the rescue effort more difficult,they added.

“To save people from getting electrocuted,the power was cut off. This lead to a stampede,thereby proving a hindrance to the operations. There was a blackout,and people were running all over the place. We kept announcing that people must stay where they were. But the fire spread fast because of the tents,” said the official.

Nand Nagri,too cramped

Nand Nagri was declared a resettlement colony in 1976. It is a cramped locality with narrow lanes.

The area is divided into five blocks and has a population of more than one lakh,area councillor Santosh Kumar said. “Eunuchs live in Block B. The incident took place a few metres away,in Block E,” Kumar said. The community hall belongs to the Slum Board of the Delhi government and this hall was built three years ago,” he said Kumar.