At least 11 dead as fire engulfs paint factory in Indian capital

Authorities fear more people could be dead due to partial collapse of building

Fire brigade personnel look on after dousing a late Thursday fire at a paint factory in the Alipur area in northern New Delhi, India, Friday, 16 February 2024 (AP)

At least 11 people died in a fire that erupted at a paint factory in the northern part of India's national capital.

Fire department authorities rushed 22 fire engines to the Alipur area after receiving a call around 5.25pm on Thursday.

The massive blaze was brought under control after four hours, Delhi fire services chief Atul Garg said, adding that four injured people were admitted to a local hospital.

Police officials fear more workers may be dead as no one was able to escape the blaze that started on the ground floor of the factory, trapping victims on the floors above.

The bodies of the victims were recovered from under the rubble as a blast following the fire brought down parts of the building.

"The fire then rapidly spread to adjacent buildings and shops," Mr Garg said, according to Reuters.

The exact cause of the fire was still unknown and rescue teams and firefighters were continuing to search to find any trapped person, he added.

Tense family members of the factory workers were anxiously waiting for the authorities to reveal the identity of the dead. “I don’t know where my brother is… he recently joined the factory… He is missing along with several others," Shyamu Kumar, the brother of a 19-year-old man who worked at the factory, told the Indian Express.

He added that nearly a dozen people were employed by the factory.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal is expected to meet the family members of those killed in the blaze.

Fires are common in India, where building laws and safety norms are often flouted by builders and residents.

Earlier this month, a fire swept through a fireworks factory in central India, killing 11 people and injuring about 150 others as it sparked other explosions.

In January, four people, including a nine-month-old girl, died due to asphyxiation after a fire broke out in a house in the capital's Shahdara area.

At least 27 people died in May 2022 in a massive fire at a four-storey commercial building in the western part of Delhi.