Mantralaya fire toll rises to five (Second Lead)
June 22nd, 2012 - 2:55 pm ICT by IANSMumbai, June 22 (IANS) The toll in the major fire that swept the Maharashtra Mantralaya or state secretariat here climbed to five with two more bodies recovered from the sixth floor Friday afternoon, an official said.
The bodies of two people, charred beyond recognition, were found outside the Chief Minister’s Office on the sixth floor of the Mantralaya, said a city disaster control official.
While two bodies were recovered late Thursday evening, another was found Friday morning from the building, the official said.
The conflagration started around 2.40 p.m. Thursday in room number 411 on the fourth floor and quickly spread, engulfing the three top floors of the six-storeyed Mantralaya building, the landmark in the heart of South Mumbai.
The rescue teams, comprising of personnel drawn from the fire brigade and police, an Indian Navy team and Force One commandoes and 41 fire tenders from Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, and other agencies, managed to evacuate and save 65 people trapped on the upper floors.
The situation is “under control” and the flames have been doused. Now the cooling operations are under way, a fire brigade official said.
Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan has ordered an inquiry by the Crime Branch to ascertain whether it was an accident, negligence or sabotage.
According to Mantralaya staffers’ union leader R.G. Karnik, some 3,000 employees work in the building. It gets an equal number of visitors every day.
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- Chavan takes stock of Mantralaya fire - Jun 22, 2012
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- Mantralaya to be functional in three months, says Bhujbal (Lead) - Jun 23, 2012
- Mantralaya blaze: Chavan says fire controlled, orders probe (Lead) - Jun 21, 2012
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- 16 injured in Mantralaya fire, blaze under control (Night Lead) (With images) - Jun 21, 2012
- Pawar lauds rescue operations during Mantralaya fire - Jun 22, 2012
- Chavan, Bhujbal inspect fire-ravaged Mantralaya - Jun 23, 2012
- RTI activist alleges sabotage in Mantralaya fire - Jun 22, 2012
- Baramati mourns its residents' death in Mantralaya fire (With images) - Jun 22, 2012
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Tags: chavan, chief minister, commandoes, conflagration, crime branch, disaster control, fire brigade, fire tenders, friday afternoon, indian navy, maharashtra, navy team, prithviraj, sixth floor, south mumbai, staffers, state secretariat, thane, union leader, upper floors