Two people died in a fire at Maker Tower in south Mumbai's Cuffe Parade area
Two men died on Tuesday in a major fire at the Maker Tower in Mumbai, an upscale residential complex in Cuffe Parade in the city's south.
The fire broke out a little after 6.30 am on the 20th floor of the building, at an apartment owned by Shekhar Bajaj, the Chairman and Managing Director of Bajaj Electricals.
Two helps sleeping in servant quarters near a flight of stairs died before firemen could arrive. Members of the Bajaj family were among 11 rescued, say fire officers. The fire also spread to the 21st floor.
"We do not know whether it was a short circuit...it could be, we will know after an investigation," Shekhar Bajaj said.
The sea-facing building has some of Mumbai's most plush apartments. There are two flats on each floor of the 25-storey building.
A resident said two flats were completely destroyed. "I rescued two helps and a child...They are in a state of shock," he told reporters.
"This was a wake-up call, it could have been much worse," said author Shobhaa De, who stays on the fifth floor of the Tower. She said the situation was very well handled by the fire department and the police.
It took two hours to control the blaze.