14, including 12 women, killed in Mumbai's Kamala Mills fire: Owners charged with culpable homicide

A major fire broke out in a building inside the Kamala Mills Compound in Lower Parel area of Mumbai killing at least 14 people, including 12 women, most of them in their twenties and thirties late on Thursday evening, and spread rapidly to nearby restaurants and offices as well. [caption id=“attachment_4279967” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Firemen inspect the debris after fire engulfed one of the restaurants inside Kamala Mills Compound in Mumbai. Reuters[/caption] Fire-fighters took at least three hours and more to douse the blaze that leapt up in central Mumbai’s nightlife hub. Initial reports indicate most of the casualties were reported from the vicinity of the restaurants that had opened in the 37-acre premises over the last few years. The blaze was brought under control at 6.30 am on Friday. The fire broke out on the fourth floor of the building on Senapati Bapat Marg, a commercial hub of the city, a civic official told reporters. Reports said that the postmortem examination revealed that all 14 deaths were due to suffocation. Police has registered a case under Section 304 of the IPC (culpable homicide) registered against 1 Above, the restaurant where the fire broke out at the NM Joshi Marg police station. The owners had reportedly violated fire safety norms. Around 150 people were inside the building when the fire started. Latest reports also said that the owners of the restaurant are absconding. The majority of those killed were women attending a birthday party at a rooftop restaurant, police said. The 28-year-old woman celebrating her birthday was among those who died, her grandfather told Reuters. Kamala Mills Compound houses several media companies — TV9 on ground floor, Mirror Now, ET Now, Times Now, Zoom, Times global broadcasting company’s office on first floor — and the blaze affected transmission of several TV channels.

#KamalaMills Fire: 'Postmortem reveals that all the 14 deaths were due to to suffocation,' Dr.Rajesh Dere, doctor who performed the postmortems (Earlier Visual) pic.twitter.com/oOqU6CCKz9

— ANI (@ANI) December 29, 2017

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Casualty details from KEM hospital Dead 1) Jeet- 49 yrs 2) Preeti - 36 yrs 3) Tejal 4) Unknown - 40 yrs 5) Pramila 6) Vishva- 23 yrs 7) Veena- 28 yrs 8) Kavita- 36 yrs 9) Paroli- 30 yrs 10) Dhairya- 26 yrs 11) Manisha- 30 yrs 12) Yasha- 27 13) Unknown 14) Unknown Critical 1) Shefali, 2) Khushboo Condition stable: 1) Rohan- 22 yrs 2) Abhishekh - 22 yrs 3) Deep - 31 yrs 4) Utsav- 27 yrs 5) Ankita - 30 yrs 6) Siddharth- 24 yrs 7) Divya - 24 yrs 8) Neha- 28 yrs 9) Neh - 20 yrs 10) Shankra 11) Jeet- 21 yrs 12) Yash - 22 yrs Reactions Shiv Sena lawmaker Sunil Shinde who also reached the hospital demanded a “proper inquiry”. “Who has given them (restaurants) the licence? They are responsible for this incident,” he told reporters. Aditya Thackeray, leader of the Shiv Sena, said he has spoken to the city’s civic body commissioner.

I pray for the families who’ve been injured and those who lost their lives in the tragic fire at Kamala Mills. Really unfortunate and sad.
On the administrative side, investigation will happen, and the BMC will come down hard on the violations of fire safety norms.

— Aaditya Thackeray (@AUThackeray) December 28, 2017

I spoke to Hon’ble Municipal Commissioner Mehta sir, MLA Sunil Shinde ji and Leader of the House Yashwant Jadhav ji, who were at the place assisting relief ops. Implementing fire audits of such places are a must, and action will be taken if violations are found.

— Aaditya Thackeray (@AUThackeray) December 28, 2017

A survivor from the blaze tweeted out her harrowing experience:

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. Some powers were definitely protecting me 🙏🏻 #kamalamills

— Dr Sulbha Arora (@SulbhaArora) December 28, 2017

President Ram Nath Kovind too extended his condolences to the bereaved families:

Disturbing news about the fire in Mumbai. Condolences to the bereaved families and wishing the injured an early recovery. Commend the valiant efforts of fire-fighters and those in rescue ops #PresidentKovind

— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) December 29, 2017

Prime Minister Office tweeted:

Anguished by the fire in Mumbai. My thoughts are with the bereaved families in this hour of grief. I pray that those injured recover quickly: PM @narendramodi

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) December 29, 2017