Fire at Bangalore Bioinnovation Centre damages properties worth Rs 110 cr: Minister Priyank Kharge
Bengaluru, Jan 14: A fire broke out at Bangalore Bioinnovation Centre (BBC) on Tuesday morning and there were no casualties, Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge said.
The BBC is a Government of Karnataka undertaking which is located at the Electronic City in Bengaluru.
"The preliminary estimation of loss sustained by startups ranged from Rs 80 crore to Rs 110 crore. The estimated loss to BBC properties was approximately Rs 42 crore. No loss to life," Kharge's office said in a statement.
The minister who holds the Information Technology and Biotechnology portfolio said the fire mishap occurred on the second floor of the facility which was recently revamped to house more number of startups.
The second floor was completely gutted, while extensive damage was also sustained to first and ground floors due to the interconnected HVAC lines, the Minister's office said.
The fire severely damaged common infrastructure of BBC, including the Bangalore Bio Bank, Cleanroom facility, Flowcytometry, HVAC units, AC units, among others.
Various equipment of the Incubated startups were also damaged, according to the minister.
"The list of startups gravely affected includes - Fermbox (3 labs), Phyxx 44 (3 labs), Ajitha prodrug (1 lab), Galore Tx (1 lab), Ikesia (1 lab), Immunitas (2 labs) Yokogawa (1 lab). Several other startups were also affected (Including Atrimed pharma, 4basecare, Anabio, Anava bio, Pandorium, Oxonexe Presude Lifesciences, Zhichu among others," the statement read.
The fire in the startup room on the second floor broke out "due to improper management of flammable solvent in the lab".
"All BBC startups were previously informed not to store and use any large volume of inflammable chemicals in their labs and a separate open storage area was provided for the same," said the statement.
A fire broke out at the Bangalore BioInnovation Center earlier today and the cause of the blaze is yet to be ascertained.
— Priyank Kharge / ಪ್ರಿಯಾಂಕ್ ಖರ್ಗೆ (@PriyankKharge) January 14, 2025
It is heartbreaking to witness years of hard work and dedication by our entrepreneurs reduced to ashes. I want to reassure them that the government stands… pic.twitter.com/qwD61Vxs58
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23-year-old woman found dead at Delhi home; suicide suspected
New Delhi (PTI): A 23-year-old woman was found dead in her house in Delhi's Prem Nagar area, with police suspecting it to be a case of suicide, an official said on Tuesday.
The deceased, identified as Anjali Singh, was found motionless in her room on Monday by her sister and her neighbour.
Police said her father, Vinod Kumar Singh (51), told them that he and his wife were away at work at the time of the incident, while their son and the other daughter were also not at home at the time of the incident.
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According to the family, the room in which Anjali was found was locked from the inside. The door was later forcibly opened by a neighbour and her sister with the help of a crowbar.
Her body was found lying on the bed inside the room, police said.
Preliminary inquiry revealed that Anjali had allegedly hanged herself using a piece of cloth tied to the ceiling fan.
It is suspected that the noose eventually might have loosened or torn off, resulting in her being found lying on the bed.
Family members informed the police that Anjali was a final-year student of a librarian science course from Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). About a week ago, her final-year examination results were declared, and she had failed, following which she had been under depression, they said.
The family has not raised any allegation of foul play, police said, adding that no suicide note or external injury marks were found on the body during the initial inspection.
Inquest proceedings have been initiated in the matter as per the law. The body has been sent for post-mortem examination to ascertain the exact cause of death, and further investigation is underway, police added.
