Fire

Goa nightclub fire: Co-owner Ajay Gupta files bail plea in Mapusa court

Ajay Gupta, one of the four co-owners of 'Birch by Romeo Lane' nightclub in Goa, where 25 persons were killed in a fire earlier this month, on Thursday filed a bail application in a court in Mapusa town. Gupta was arrested in New Delhi by the Goa Police on December 10, following which a court in Mapusa remanded him in police custody for seven days. Twenty-five persons, including 20 staff members and five tourists, were killed in the major blaze at the nightclub at Arpora in North Goa around midnight of December 6. Gupta, who is currently in the custody of the Anjuna police, applied for bail before the District Judge in Mapusa. Senior lawyer Rohan Desai will represent him. The court is likely to hear the bail application later in the day, and notices will be issued to the state police seeking their response. So far, eight persons have been arrested in connection with the case, including Gupta, and two other owners - Gaurav Luthra and his brother Saurabh - who were deported from ...

Goa nightclub fire: HC turns civil suit into PIL, seeks accountability

The Goa bench of Bombay High Court on Monday converted a civil suit against Birch by Romeo Lane at Arpora, where a devastating fire on December 6 killed 25 persons, into a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) observing "someone has to be held accountable in such kind of cases". The HC also asked the state government to file a reply on permissions granted to the ill-fated nightclub. The petition was filed by Pradeep Ghadi Amonkar and Sunil Divkar, owners of the land on which the nightclub stood. Converting it into a PIL, the division bench of Justices Sarang Kotwal and Prithviraj Chavan said "someone has to be held accountable in such kind of cases". It observed that the local panchayat had failed to take suo motu cognisance of the club and had taken no action despite complaints. Commercial operations were going in the structure despite it being served a demolition order, the HC bench pointed out. Advocate Rohit Bras de Sa, the lawyer representing Amonkar and Divkar, was made amicus .

From IndiGo to Indigo: How the escape plan of Luthra brothers collapsed

The incident left twenty-five people dead and six others injured during a musical event that had drawn nearly a hundred guests, many of them tourists

Goa nightclub fire incident exposes EPFO's compliance failure: Officers

EPFOA alleges that the nightclub's EPF-registered entity, M/s Being GS Hospitality Goa Arpora LLP, never deposited provident fund dues since its coverage

Guwahati fire remains untamed for over 33 hrs, multiple agencies struggle

A massive fire that broke out at a commercial complex in Guwahati remained untamed for over 33 hours even as more than two dozen fire tenders have been struggling to douse the blaze, a senior official said on Thursday. The fire broke out at Swagata Square Complex in ABC Point around 12.30 am on Wednesday. The multi-storey building houses SBI's zonal office, commercial branch and the premium banking branch, and a shopping mall, 'Sohum Emporia'. More than 25 fire tenders have been struggling for more than 33 hours. Water tenders from the Indian Air Force, Indian Army and Guwahati Refinery also joined the efforts to douse the blaze, while NDRF was called in to assist with their high-tech smoke reduction machine. Apart from Guwahati, fire tenders came from Morigaon, Kamrup and Nalbari districts, as well, while more vehicles were on the way from Darrang. "The fire is still raging on the sixth floor. We are trying to douse it," a senior official of the Fire & Emergency Services ...

Goa CM Pramod Sawant holds high-level meet after nightclub fire kills 25

In the wake of a nightclub fire that claimed 25 lives, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant held a high-level meeting on Wednesday with officials and tourism stakeholders to ensure strict safety measures ahead of the Christmas and New Year celebrations. Officials of the North and South Goa district administrations and police department were present in the meeting, which was also attended by state Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte. The meeting was held against the backdrop of the December 6 fire tragedy at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora in North Goa in which 25 persons were killed, according to sources. "The chief minister briefed (those present in the meeting) about various measures taken to ensure that such a tragedy does not occur again in the state," a senior officer, privy to the meeting, told PTI. He said that the state government has issued various orders and also formed committees, including a high-level magisterial inquiry panel and a fire safety audit committee, after th

Nightclub fire case: Goa Police seeks Interpol Blue Notice against owners

The Goa Police has approached the CBI for issuance of an Interpol Blue Notice against Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, the main accused and owners of the Goa nightclub where a massive blaze claimed 25 lives, after they fled the country, officials said Tuesday. Saurabh Luthra and Gaurav Luthra, the owners of the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Arpora where the incident happened on Saturday, are believed to have fled to Phuket, Thailand, hours after the tragedy, the Goa Police said on Monday. The Interpol Blue Notice is issued to collect additional information about a person's identity, location or activities in relation to a criminal investigation. The agency is in touch with the Interpol regarding the request of the Goa Police to track the fugitives. The Red Notice which calls for detention of the fugitive can only be issued after a charge sheet is filed and a Non Bailable Warrant is issued against the wanted person. "Goa Police have taken further steps to coordinate with the Interpol

Goa nightclub fire: Govt widens crackdown, confirms identity of victims

Of the 25 people who lost their lives in the blaze that erupted in the early hours of Sunday, four of them were tourists, and the others were staff members

Goa orders probe after nightclub fire kills 25, leaves several injured

Police were alerted to the blaze at the Birch by Romeo Lane club at 12:04 am (1834 GMT on Saturday), Goa's police chief told the ANI news agency

Hong Kong fire: Donations hit $115 mn as crackdown on dissent tightens

Donations for victims of a Hong Kong fire that killed at least 146 people and left thousands homeless reached 900 million Hong Kong dollars (USD 115 million), authorities said on Monday, in a massive outpouring of sympathy and support. But as questions grew over who to blame for the deadly blaze, the government appeared to be moving swiftly to stifle criticism. A steady stream of people placed flowers, cards and other tributes at a makeshift memorial near the burned-out block of buildings, after long lines of mourners during the weekend. When something happens, we come out to help each other, said Loretta Loh, after paying her regards at the site. I have a heavy heart. The fire broke out on Wednesday afternoon at the Wang Fuk Court complex in the suburb of Tai Po. It burned through seven of eight apartment towers, home to some 4,600 people, and wasn't fully extinguished until Friday morning. Hong Kong police Disaster Victim Identification Unit staff went through four of the buildi

Fire at four-storey building in south Delhi leaves three dead, two injured

Three people died and two women were injured after a massive fire broke out at a footwear shop in south Delhi's Tigri Extension on Saturday evening, police said. A PCR call about the blaze at the shop on the ground floor of a four-storey building was received at 6.24 following which police rushed to the spot, they said. On arrival, police found the entire building engulfed in flames, with the fire believed to have started from the footwear shop on the ground floor before spreading upward, a senior police officer said. Three people were found dead at the spot, while two injured women were rescued from the building and shifted to a hospital, the officer said, adding that their condition is being monitored. Crime and forensic teams have been called to inspect the site, and evidence is being collected to ascertain the cause of the fire, police said. Further investigation is underway.

Eight more arrested in connection with Hong Kong fire that killed 128

A local official informed that firefighting and rescue operations were nearly concluded after days of efforts to combat the deadly fire that claimed at least 128 lives

Despairing Hongkongers stranded by fire seek help amid housing shortage

The scale of the disaster unfolding in northern Hong Kong - which killed at least 128 - presents an acute challenge to a city notorious for its housing shortage and sky-high rents

Hong Kong fire sparks calls to end bamboo scaffolding, tighten safety laws

Some 200 residents of Wang Fuk Court were still unaccounted for as of Friday, with Secretary for Security Chris Tang saying at a briefing that officials couldn't rule out finding more bodies

At least 128 people dead in Hong Kong blaze as rescue efforts underway

Firefighters battled for a second day to extinguish a blaze at a high-rise apartment complex in Hong Kong on Thursday, as the death toll rose to 94 in one of the deadliest blazes in the city's modern history. Rescuers holding flashlights were going from apartment to apartment at the charred towers as thick smoke poured out from some windows at the Wang Fuk Court complex, a dense cluster of buildings housing thousands of people in Tai Po district, a northern suburb near Hong Kong's border with the mainland. Officials said firefighters were still working on a handful of apartments and trying to enter all of the units in the seven towers to ensure there were no further casualties. Our firefighting operation is almost complete, said Derek Armstrong Chan, deputy director of Fire Services Operations. Firefighters were working hard to prevent the debris and embers from flaring up. What's next is the search and rescue operation, he added. It was unclear how many people remained missing or

Hong Kong high-rise fire puts spotlight on bamboo scaffolding safety

While the exact cause of the deadly inferno that swept across a Hong Kong apartment complex remains unknown, questions have been raised about the role of the bamboo scaffolding that enveloped the buildings at the time of the fire. The blaze, which has left at least 94 dead, has focused attention on the use of the ancient construction technique dating back over 1,000 years. Bamboo poles lashed together using wire and other strong materials are often found at construction sites in Southeast Asia. Hong Kong is one of the few major cities where such scaffolding is a common sight. Officials said Wednesday's fire started on the external scaffolding of a 32-story tower in the suburb of Tai Po, spread to the inside of the building and then to six other towers, likely aided by windy conditions. Officials are investigating why the scaffolding and other construction materials used in renovations to the outsides of the buildings caught fire. Bamboo is a fast-growing plant that forms tall, hol

55 killed, 279 missing in one of Hong Kong's deadliest fires: All we know

Hundreds of residents were evacuated as the fire spread across seven of the eight high-rise apartment buildings in a housing complex in Tai Po district, a suburb in the New Territories

Thousands left homeless as fire in Bangladesh slum destroys 1,500 shanties

A fire in a crowded slum in Bangladesh's capital has burned or damaged 1,500 shanties, leaving thousands homeless, authorities said Wednesday. No casualties were reported. The blaze, which began Tuesday evening at the Korail slum in Dhaka, was doused Wednesday after 16 hours, said Rashed Bin Khalid, a duty officer at the Department of Fire Service and Civil Defense. The fire service's director, Lt Col Mohammad Tajul Islam Chowdhury, said about 1,500 shanties were burned or damaged in the blaze and thousands remained homeless. According to official data, about 60,000 families many of them climate refugees live in the slum which has an area of more than 160 acres (65 hectares). The slum straddles Dhaka's upscale Gulshan and Banani neighbourhoods, and it is surrounded by clusters of high-rise apartment and office buildings. Heavy smoke blanketed the area as flames engulfed the dwellings overnight. On Wednesday, the residents who lost their homes were desperate to collect their ...

Kurnool bus tragedy: 25 dead after Hyderabad–Bengaluru bus catches fire

A late-night journey turned into a horrific tragedy when a private sleeper bus caught fire near Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh, killing at least 25 passengers. Here’s what happened, how authorities responded

Watch | Visuals of Hyderabad-Bengaluru bus fire that left at least 20 dead

At least 20 passengers were charred to death, while 12 others escaped with minor injuries after a private bus was gutted in a fire near Chinnatekur village in Kallur mandal, Kurnool District