4 killed in Amritsar pharma unit blaze

AMRITSAR: Four people were killed after a fire broke out in a pharmaceutical factory at Nag Kalan village on the outskirts of Amritsar city on Thursday evening.

It began at around 5pm, coinciding with the work shift change of employees, leading to a chaotic rush for safety. However, not everybody managed to leave the premises, as some sought refuge on the roof of the building and paid with their lives. According to officials, four succumbed, including a woman.

Amritsar (rural) SSP Satinder Singh said the bodies of all four had been sent for postmortem and an inquiry would be initiated to ascertain the cause of fire and fix responsibility. As many as 15 fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the flames but they only spread, as nearly 500 alcohol drums inside the unit caught fire.

It was past midnight when the blaze was put out and rescue operation started. It was then that the bodies of four employees were found. The relatives of the deceased allegedly refused to let the bodies be taken for postmortem and relented only after the factory management assured to give adequate compensation.


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