Fifteen students died on Monday after a fire broke out in a three-story building from which a coaching centre operates in the Aliganj area of Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow, ANI quoted Medical Superintendent of King George Medical University Prem Raj Singh as saying.
At least seven persons are admitted at the hospital, Singh added.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak told ANI that action will be taken against those found responsible with no leniency.
Videos shared on social media showed persons jumping from the first floor of the building to escape the fire.
Eyewitnesses said that at least eight students jumped from the building, The Hindu reported.
The building also housed a pet shop. Several animals were rescued after the fire, ANI reported.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the families of those who died. The injured persons would be given Rs 50,000 each, the prime minister’s office stated in a social media post.
“Anguished by the loss of lives in a fire mishap in Lucknow,” read the statement. “My condolences to the bereaved families.”
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi stated that the news of the deaths of and injuries “is extremely heartbreaking”.
“I extend my deepest condolences to all the bereaved families and hope for the speedy recovery of the injured,” he wrote on social media.
Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav said that the incident was “extremely tragic” and called for an “honest investigation” into its cause.
“Those children could have belonged to anyone’s family,” he said. “Preventing such heartbreaking accidents in the future should be our collective endeavour.”
The incident in Lucknow came weeks after 21 persons were killed in a fire at a ground-plus-five-storey bed-and-breakfast establishment in Delhi’s Malviya Nagar. Of those who died in the June 3 fire, 10 were Indians, nine were from African countries and two were from Turkmenistan.
Most of the foreign nationals were medical tourists who had come to India for treatment, or were accompanying patients.
Edited by Sneha.
This is a developing story. It will be updated as new details are available.
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