Locked inside,50 die in fire at Agra shoe factory

At least 50 workers were charred to death in Jeoni Mandi in Agra today when a fire broke out in the shoe factory they were working in. Aroun...

At least 50 workers were charred to death in Jeoni Mandi in Agra today when a fire broke out in the shoe factory they were working in. Around 100 workers are still feared to be trapped in the Shri Ji International factory, whose gates had been locked by the factory owner to prevent the workers from leaving.

Firemen had to drill a hole in a wall at the rear end of the factory to pull out the bodies. Only two people could be recognised by face. The blaze caused the factory structure to collapse, and police suspect that the death toll could rise.

The fire broke out at around 10.45 am and spread rapidly, engulfing the entire two-storeyed building. Around 200 workers were working inside when a fire broke out inside a storeroom used to stock drums containing inflammable adhesive solution.

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The drums exploded, engulfing the factory. Fuelled by the solution, the fire had already killed 50 workers before the fire brigade could arrive.

The charred bodies were sent to the postmortem house of Agra’s S.N. Hospital. Around 50 workers are seriously injured. All the major markets of the city were closed after the incident, said to be one of Agra’s worst industrial accidents in years.

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