Six dead, six injured after fire engulfs Mumbai multi-storey building

A major fire broke out on the 12th floor of a high-rise residential building in south Mumbai, and has claimed the lives of six residents and injured six fire fighters.

Deputy Chief Fire official Prabhat Rahandane said on Saturday that the fire broke out due to a cylinder blast on the 12th floor.

"Six deaths is already confirmed, seventh death is uncertain. Out of that, three are charred. There was a huge fire. It was on the 12th floor. Two were found in the lift, one was found on the 16th floor staircase and one was found on 26th floor of the building. That happened because of the smoke going up," said Rahandane.

A raging inferno engulfed the 26-storey building in a posh Mumbai locality.

The sudden outbreak of the blaze created panic among residents and began evacuation.

The fire fighters immediately rushed to the site and struggled to douse the flames atop the building.

Several people, who were trapped inside the building above the 12th floor, were shifted to the top floor by rescue workers.

Fires in Mumbai is fairly common as safety regulations are not strictly enforced. In most industries and residential dwellings across India, fire safety regulations are lax, rarely implemented and not periodically reviewed, which results in the breaking of major fire, resulting in loss of life and material.