NEW DELHI: Eleven people were killed in a fire that broke out at a paint factory in the Indian capital, an official said on Friday, as rescue teams continued to search for survivors.
The fire broke out in the northern suburbs of New Delhi late on Thursday, fire chief Atul Garg told AFP.
“There was an explosion in the paint factory and the building collapsed. The victims were factory workers,” Garg said.
“The impact was such that the fire spread to the house and the nearby drug center.”
Garg said the fire has since been doused and the cause of the blast is yet to be ascertained.
Factory accidents are common in India, with owners often ignoring basic safety requirements and operating without permits.
More than 40 people died in a fire at a school bag and shoe factory in Delhi in 2019.
As is often the case, many of the dead were poor migrant workers who earned a pittance and slept in the factory.
One of the worst fires in India was in 1985 in a school in the state of Haryana in the north of the country, where 442 people died, including 258 children.
