Death toll in Ludhiana fire incident climbs to 10

Ludhiana: A day after a plastic factory caught fire and collapsed, the death toll in the incident rose to 10 even as rescue operations continued today to search for those feared trapped under the debris. The multi-storey factory building had yesterday collapsed after it caught fire in Mushtaq Ganj near Cheema Chowk here.

“Ten bodies so far have been taken out of the debris and few more persons are feared still trapped under the debris,” an official associated with rescue operations said here today. Two persons were rescued from the debris, he said.

Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner of Police Dhruman Nimble said out of ten bodies, six have been identified. Bodies have been sent to civil hospital for postmortem, Nimble further said. Several teams of NDRF, SDRF, the Army and Punjab Police were involved in the rescue operations.

Smoke still could be seen coming out of the debris in the morning as the rescue operations were underway. A case under various sections of the IPC has been registered against owner of the factory identified as Inderpal Singh Gola, police said.