LUCKNOW: A fire at a building housing a library and coaching center for college students in India killed at least 14 people on Monday, officials said.
The fire in Lucknow, the capital of northern Uttar Pradesh state, started from the middle floor of the three-storey commercial building located in a residential area and quickly spread to other levels.
“Fourteen children from happy families were killed in the incident,” state Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak told reporters, adding that four others were injured in the fire.
It was not clear if all the dead were students.
Several students jumped from the upper level of the building to the street below to escape the flames, witnesses told an AFP reporter.
Indian television showed images of flames shooting from the building’s front facade as firefighters battled to extinguish the blaze.
The building housed a coaching center for university students, a library and a computer graphics section.
Building fires are common in India due to lack of fire fighting equipment and routine disregard of safety regulations.
Electrical short circuits, often caused by poorly maintained wiring, remain the number one cause of fire incidents in India.
“Strict action will be taken against those found responsible,” Pathak said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was “distressed by the loss of life” and announced over $2,100 in relief money for each family, his office said in a social media post.
The cause of the latest fire – which came about two weeks after a hotel fire left 21 dead in the capital New Delhi – was not immediately known.
In March, a fire at a government-run hospital in eastern India killed 10 critically ill patients.
In 2019, a major fire incident in Delhi killed 43 factory workers who were sleeping in a building in the city’s old quarter.
