Ludhiana factory fire: Rescue workers look for survivors at the factory that caved in after a fire
Four people were killed, two of them firefighters, and 15 others were feared trapped after a fire broke out on Monday at a factory that makes plastic bags in the industrial city of Ludhiana in Punjab, police said.
The three-storeyed factory at Mushtaq Nagar in the city caved in as firefighters were trying to control the blaze with an array of pressurised water hoses.
"Four bodies have been pulled out," Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner Pradeep Aggarwal told news agency PTI.
Those who died in the fire have been identified as Inderpal Singh, fire officer Simaon Gill and fireman Puran Singh. The officer said they are trying to find out the identity of the fourth person who died in the building collapse following the blaze.
Members of the National Disaster Response Force and Indian Army jawans along with locals are searching for survivors at the site.
Bulldozers have started removing the concrete and steel debris, police said. Ambulances are on standby to take away injured people whenever they are pulled out from underneath the debris.
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said he was "shocked and saddened" by the deaths. "Have asked district administration to extend all help to NDRF in rescue operations," he tweeted.
A fire official said they are trying to find out what cause the fire.