Bangalore: Woman dies in mock drill

The woman was to demonstrate how to descend from an open window. She was to follow a male employee who managed to slide down the rope safely with the help of a harness and the guidance of fire services personnel.

When it was her turn to come down,something went wrong,the harness was not secured and she fell straight down to the ground from the third floor, Ravi Kumar,a police inspector said.

The fire department had been called to conduct the mock drill. It is the start of summer and garment factories are very susceptible to fire accidents, he said.

Employees of the company blamed the fire department for their failure to create adequate safety.

There was nothing on the ground to cushion a fall in the event of an accident. There should have been some way to break the fall above the ground with a safety net or even piles of cloth which are available in plenty at the factory, said an employee who witnessed the tragedy.