Bangalore:
Four fire officials have been suspended for safety negligence after a mock drill, which was reportedly carried out without safety nets, resulted in the death of a woman. The fire department has told NDTV that there are no standard operating procedure in place for fire safety drills in Bangalore.
The 25-year-old woman died after falling from the third floor in a mock drill on Friday. The incident led to shock and anger.
The mock drill was organised by the Fire Service Department in the premises of Bombay Rayon Fashion Limited in the Peenya Industrial Area in north Bangalore.
The woman, identified as Nalini, a garment factory worker girl, was trying to come down the three-storey building with the help of a rope when she fell to the ground. She suffered severe head injuries as she fell from the third floor of the factory building and died on way to a hospital, a police spokesperson told reporters. There were no safety nets in place for the drill. The police have now ordered a probe into the matter.
Speaking to NDTV, Inspector General Fire, N Shivakumar, said that they have learnt a lesson after incident and that they will fix a standard operating procedure.
"There is no standard operating procedure in place for such mock drills. Drills like these in the past have taken place without safety net. We admit that we should have had a safety net. A probe has been ordered, a report is expected in a week. Action will be taken based on the report," he had said.
"They told the young girl that it was a mock drill and that they were training her. They took her to the third floor where there was no safety net below. That is their biggest mistake. She died because of this lapse. Some safety measures should have been in place. The girl died in front of my eyes, it's a clear case of negligence and they should be held responsible," said an eyewitness.
However, police sources have told NDTV that the rope she was using to climb down could have given way causing the victim's death.