At least 43 dead in fire at New Delhi factory

Victims are labourers who were sleeping inside factory located in a congested residential area

NEW DELHI: At least 43 people were killed in India's capital New Delhi on Sunday when a fire swept through a six-storey factory where labourers were sleeping, government officials said.

The factory was making handbags and lots of raw material was stored inside the building due to which the fire spread quickly, local media reported. However, no details were immediately available on the cause of the fire.

"Till now we have rescued more than 50 people, most of them were affected due to smoke," Atul Garg, an official with Delhi Fire Services told reporters.

Fire incident reported on train, no casualties

Nearly 30 fire tenders were rushed to the spot and injured were admitted in four nearby hospitals, he said.

The factory was operating in a congested residential area.

Sunil Choudhary, New Delhi's deputy chief fire officer, told AFP the victims were "labourers and factory workers sleeping inside this four-or-five storey building".

"Have instructed concerned authorities to provide all possible assistance on urgent basis," Amit Shah, India's home minister, said in a tweet.

The fire was doused and a team of National Disaster Response Force was searching the factory to find out if any more people were trapped, a police official told Reuters.

The Delhi state government will conduct a probe and action will be taken against those responsible for the fire, Imran Hussain, minister of food and civil supplies, told reporters.