Himachal factory fire | 4 out of 5 fatalities confirmed

The identities of four of the five people who died in a fire at a perfume manufacturing unit in Baddi industrial area in Himachal Pradesh's Solan have been confirmed, and all were women, authorities said.

The injured woman, who was declared dead by PGIMER Chandigarh, has been identified as Pinki, while three of the four bodies recovered from the factory ashes have been identified as Ranuma, Shashi and Rakhi, respectively.

So far, five people have died in the large-scale fire that broke out around 2:45 p.m., and a search is underway for four people missing.

Solan Deputy Commissioner Manmohan Sharma said 13 people were missing.

“People jumped from the first and second floors of the building to save their lives, sustaining multiple injuries to their hands, feet and even their spine,” Sharma said, adding that the cause of the fire was yet to be determined. Ta.

However, five of them are being traced and the search for the remaining four is still ongoing, officials said.

They said the possibility that numbers could increase could not be ruled out.

About 30 people were injured and admitted to various hospitals, according to details released by the state emergency surgery center.

Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri, who visited the spot, accused the company of criminal negligence and said the fire occurred due to its negligence and carelessness.

“The company has violated the necessary norms for safety and security of workers and orders have been issued to take appropriate action against the company. Police have registered an FIR and action has been taken against the owners of the company. are being taken,” he said.

The deputy chief minister said five people have been confirmed dead so far and search operations will continue until the last one is traced.

The structure of the building is highly weakened and the effects of toxic gases released from the chemicals are being felt, he added.

Mr. Chander Shekhar, the factory manager of NR Aromas, was arrested under Article 285 (negligence), Article 336 (endangerment of life), and Article 337 (criminal bodily injury, manslaughter not amounting to murder). He was arrested after an FIR was registered. In a statement issued here, the police said that the Penal Code (IPC) was complied with.

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by Additional Superintendent of Police Ashok Verma was formed to carry out a thorough investigation into the matter on the orders of the Solan DC for an administrative investigation.

Witnesses said thick smoke of toxic gases such as carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide oozing from the veneers hampered efforts to extinguish the fire, forcing workers to climb to the top of the building to ensure safety.