Himachal | 5 killed as fire breaks out in Mandi home
Cause of fire suspected to be a short-circuit.
Statesman News Service | Shimla | July 23, 2018 2:30 pm
The grieving relatives of the five people who died in the Ner Chowk house in Mandi on Sunday night.
At least five members of a family, including three women, were burnt alive when a fire broke out in a house in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi district early Monday morning. The cause of the fire is suspected to be a short-circuit.
The incident took place at Ner Chowk.
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Family sources said the fire broke out when the people were asleep after a wedding procession (baraat) returned with the groom and the bride late Sunday.
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Mandi Superintendent of Police Gurdev Chand Sharma said fire tenders had been rushed to the spot but five lives were already lost before the flames could be doused. Two others have sustained serious burns.
The incident took place at Ner Chowk late Sunday night.
The deceased have been identified as the parents of the bridegroom, Narender Soni (66) and his wife Veena Soni (62), Narender’s sister Sudesh (70), her daughter-in-law Mona (40), and Mona’s minor son Sai Sohel, aged 8-10 years.
Mandi Deputy Superintendent of Police Hitesh Lakhanpal said a forensic team had been rushed to the spot to ascertain the cause of fire. He said there were reports of one or more LPG cylinders bursting in the house.
Deputy Commissioner Rugved Thakur told PTI that two rooms of the house were completely charred.
The weather department has warned that gusty winds of up to 70 kmph, lightning and heavy rainfall could disrupt transport, damage power infrastructure and affect standing crops in several parts of the country.
More than 60 specialist dental surgeons from the Tricity, Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh participated in a day-long workshop on ‘Advanced Guided Implant Surgery’ organised at Panchkula on Sunday.
The Shimla Mayor said the construction owner has accepted responsibility for the affected slope and has been directed to build a retaining wall, while officials continue to assess vulnerable homes amid heavy monsoon rain.