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India On Media |
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| Politics
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| Mumbai Mantralaya fire |
| Mumbai Mantralaya fire: 2 more bodies found, death toll at five
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| INDIA
, 22-June-2012
4:49:56 AM |
| Two dead bodies were discovered in the charred remains of the Mumbai Mantralaya today, pushing the death toll from the 12-hour fire up to five.
The building in South Mumbai, which is the government's headquarters, has been declared structurally unsafe by Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan.
The last of the flames were put out early this morning by fire-fighters who worked through the night at the seven-storey building. Officials said "cooling operations" will continue for the next two days.
The massive fire began at 2.40 pm on Thursday, when 5000 people were inside. Most managed to get out. Fire-fighters helped free 65people trapped, using cranes, ladders and ropes.
Allegations that basic safety precautions had been ignored will be investigated by the Crime Branch of the Mumbai Police. Some ministers who were at work when the fire began said it took 30 minutes for the first fire engine to arrive at the site. Others allege that fire extinguishers inside government offices were not working, and that fire drills had not been conducted recently.
The chief minister has said he will meet opposition leaders who have alleged sabotage.
All ministers have been asked to cancel tours. Ministries and departments located on the fourth, fifth and sixth floors will be shifted to the Vidhan Bhawan and Sahyadri Guest house, the chief minister said.
Reacting to reports that important documents have been destroyed in the fire, Employment Guarantee Scheme Minister Nitin Raut said over three lakh files in Mantralaya have already been scanned and they are on the main server.
Documents related to the Adarsh Building Scam, which has implicated several important politicians and bureaucrats, had been handed over to the CBI months ago, the chief minister said, suggesting that the investigation into the scam would not be affected. The Adarsh building was meant to house war widows and veterans;
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