70-year-old woman dies ,19 Hospitalised in high-rise fire in south Mumbai
Mumbai, Dec 2: A 70-year-old woman died and at least 19 were hospitalised, two of them critical, after a fire broke out Sunday in a high-rise building near Mahalaxmi Racecourse in south Mumbai, police said.
The blaze occurred in the early hours Sunday on the third floor of the 18-storey Samrat Ashoka building located on Keshavrao Khade Marg, an official said.
He said the fire possibly started in the electrical wiring inside a duct on the third floor and then spread to the wiring right up till the top floor.
"At least 96 residents were stranded in their flats due to the fire and smoke. A rescue operation was launched by the Fire Brigade at 3am and 50 people from the upper floors were brought down using the staircase. Four others were saved using special devices," the official informed.
Those rescued were rushed to a nearby hospital as they had inhaled smoke, he said.
Among them, Laxmibai Koli (70) died during treatment, he added.
The official said 77 residents were discharged after treatment while 19 are still admitted.
The condition of two people, admitted in Bhatia Hospital, is critical, the official said.
The blaze was brought under control at 6am and a probe team is ascertaining its cause though initial suspicion is that it started due to a short circuit, the official said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
We received request; will decide soon whether to support TVK: Thirumavalavan
Chennai (PTI): VCK leader Thol Thirumavalavan on Thursday said that his party received a request from TVK for support and the high-level committee of his party will decide whether to support the Vijay-led party to form the government.
The TVK won 108 seats in the 234-member Assembly and emerged as the single largest party. Vijay will have to resign from one of the two constituencies he has won.
Though the Congress party, which has five MLAs, has extended support to TVK, the actor-politician-led party was still short of as many seats to touch the magic number of 118, the majority mark in the 234-member House.
"We received the request letter from TVK. We are thankful for that. We have not ignored his (Vijay's) request. We have a procedure. Therefore, our party's high-level committee will decide soon. We are going to discuss the merits and demerits of our position," the VCK leader told reporters here.
With regard to the delay in the governor's call to the TVK, which is the single largest party, to form the government, Thirumavalavan requested the governor to invite Vijay to form the government. "It is a constitutional right and people's verdict," he added.
Asserting that the governor cannot say that Vijay should hold 118 MLAs' support now itself to form the government, he said that after taking over power, Vijay has to prove an absolute majority only on the floor of the Assembly.
