Nine killed, 1 fireman injured in fire at Mumbai medical store

Nine killed, 1 fireman injured in fire at Mumbai medical store

Nine persons, including five children, were killed and a fireman was injured when a firebroke out at a medical store in a chawl in suburban Andheri this morning, police said.

Among the five deceased children was a 3-month-old infant, they said.

The fire occurred early this morning at 'Wafa' medical store located on the ground floor of a chawl in Juhi Galli on Wireless Road in Andheri, Mumbai police spokesman Ashok Dudhe said.

Eight persons were initially killed in the blaze. Later, a seriously injured woman also succumbed to her burns at a hospital, police said.

The families of the victims were staying on the first and second floors of the premises, he said.

According to police and fire brigade officials, the electric wiring and other power installations in the 120 sq ft medical store caught fire. The blaze then spread to other floors of the ground plus two-floor chawl in which nearly 17-18 people were staying.

Prima facie, the police and fire officials suspect that because of a very small internal staircase in the chawl, the victims were trapped inside the premises and got engulfed in the fire. Read more.

Jakarta explosions: 4 attackers dead, including 2 suicide bombers

Four people suspected of being behind the gunfire and serial explosions in the Indonesian capital Jakarta today are dead, including two who were allegedly suicide bombers, police said.
Two civilians are also confirmed as having died, taking the total death toll in the attacks to six, Deputy National Police Chief Budi Gunawan told reporters.
Two attackers were killed in a shootout with police, while two others were suicide bombers, he said.
Of the two recent civilian deaths, one was a foreigner, Gunawan said.
Jakarta police spokesman Muhammad Iqbal added that five police personnel, one foreign civilian and four Indonesian civilians were injured, he said.
Witnesses said at least one gunman had attacked a cafe in the city centre -- near a cluster of embassies -- shooting at bystanders, as a series of explosions rocked the area.

Strong 6.8 earthquake hits India's northeastern region, 5 dead

At least five persons were killed and over 50 injured as a strong 6.8 magnitude Earthquake with epicentre in Manipur today hit the northeastern region, causing damage to many buildings and spreading panic.

Manipur bore the brunt of the temblor which struck at 4.35 a.m with its epicentre at Tamenglong district at a depth of 17 km below the ground.

"So far, five deaths and 33 injuries have been reported from Imphal. Damage to a few buildings, residential units and Government offices have been reported, including damage to a six storey building in Imphal," according to National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

Meanwhile, social network giant Facebook has activated its 'Mark As Safe' feature that allows people in the affected area to mark themselves as out of any danger on the social media platform. Read More.