'Students called parents on phone and screamed for help'; 15 killed in Lucknow building fire tragedy

NEW DELHI: A massive fire broke out in a multi-story building in Aliganj near Lucknow, killing 15 people. The victims included students, teachers and staff of a computer training centre. Those who tried to escape by climbing into the toilet on the second floor died of suffocation after getting trapped. Two of those who jumped from the first floor were seriously injured.

Nine children were rescued. Five children are in critical condition in the hospital.

Around 25 people were trapped inside. Many could not escape due to the fire. Some jumped from the first floor and escaped. Some of the students called their parents on the phone and screamed for help. It is reported that there was no fire exit.

14 fire units worked for hours to put out the fire. The rescuers entered the building by breaking down the back wall. The injured were admitted to the Lucknow KGMU Trauma Centre. The victims were identified as Joyneel, Shajan, Mohammed Abdul, Sanyam, Sagar, Nilesh, Aditya, Anamika, Mohammed Ammar, Suraj Shah, Bhavishya, Sukhmani, Jyoti, Somalika and Ananya. Many pets in a nearby pet shop were burnt to death.

The disaster occurred at around 2 pm on Monday in a three-story building, including the basement, on Usha Mehta Marg. The cause of the fire is believed to be a short circuit. There is a pet clinic and pet shop downstairs, and an animation and graphics coaching centre, an animation studio, and a library upstairs. The computer centre is run by Akhilesh Shukla, the son of the building owner.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh to the families of the victims and Rs 50,000 to the injured. UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the victims' families and Rs 50,000 for the injured.

The Lucknow tragedy comes just days after a fire broke out at a hotel in Delhi's Malviya Nagar on June 3, killing 22 people, including foreigners. On July 28, 2024, water entered a hotel in Old Rajinder Nagar, near Karol Bagh, in Delhi. Three children, including a Malayali girl, died in the incident.