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Scores dead in grains market fire in India capital

8 December 2019
11856
2019-12-08 13:06

At least 43 people died on Sunday in a devastating fire that broke out in a building in a crowded grains market area in central New Delhi, police said.

The cause of the fire, which erupted around 5:30 a.m., is being investigated. The blaze was put out by 25 fire trucks and the rescue operation was completed, a fire official said.  Police said that the fatalities were among 59 people who had been moved out of the building on fire in the Rani Jhansi Marg area. Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the fire as "extremely horrific". Fires are common in India, where building laws and safety norms are often flouted by builders and residents. In 1997, a fire in a movie theatre in New Delhi killed 59 people.

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