11 dead in fire that gutted paint factory in outer Delhi's Alipur

New Delhi: The death toll in an explosion and subsequent fire in a paint factory in outer Delhi’s Alipur area has climbed to 11 with four more bodies recovered from the premises, police said on Friday.

Four people were injured in the fire that broke out on Thursday evening and are undergoing treatment at a hospital, they said.

The charred bodies of the 11 victims were recovered from the factory, which also houses chemical godowns, located in Alipur’s Dayalpur market, a Delhi Fire Services (DFS) official said.

The fire was preceded by a blast and soon it spread to nearby buildings, including a drug rehabilitation centre and eight shops.

The DFS official said a call about the fire was received around 5:30 pm on Thursday and 22 fire tenders were pressed into service.

The blaze was brought under control by 9 pm, he said, adding that 11 charred bodies were recovered from the factory premises.

In a post on X, DFS chief Atul Garg said, “Despite best efforts by DFS, 11 labours died in paint factory fire in alipur area Delhi. Fire call was received @ 5.30 pm and 22 tenders were to the site but due to explosion building collapsed & workers trapped inside the factory and couldn’t not be saved. Very very unfortunate day.”

A police officer said it is suspected that the blast was caused by chemicals stored in the godowns.

The four injured have been identified as Jyoti (42), Divya (20), Mohit Solanki (34), and police constable Karambir (35). They have been admitted to Raja Harish Chandra Hospital, the officer said.

The bodies have been preserved at Babu Jagjivan Ram Hospital and the process of identifyin them is being carried out, police said.