Woman killed, two injured in boiler explosion at factory

A 35-year-old woman was burnt to death and two men were injured when a fire broke out at a garment factory at Dabri in south-west Delhi, police said on Saturday.

The deceased, identified as Asha, a resident of Mahavir Enclave, was a worker at a factory in Chanakya Place.

The injured – Mahadev, 30, and Jaypal, 28 – are also labourers. A senior police official said they had received a call reporting the fire late on Friday night.

“We immediately informed the fire department which sent around five fire tenders and some water tankers to the spot. The fire was doused around 1 am. We are currently investigating to find out the exact cause,” the official added.

Initial investigation has revealed that the fire began due to an explosion in one of the boilers kept at the factory.

The powerful blast also caused extensive damage to the walls of the factory, sources said.

When police and fire personnel went inside the building, they found Asha lying dead, while Mahadev and Jaypal were severely burnt, added sources.

Police rushed them to Safdarjung Hospital, where they are undergoing treatment. Asha’s body has been handed over to her family after post-mortem at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital in Harinagar.

The 35-year-old, who hailed from Kannauj district of Uttar Pradesh, is survived by her husband and three children.

A case has been registered at Dabri police station against the factory owner, under section 304A (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code, police said.
Police are also ascertaining the value of goods lost in the fire.

Fire in Laxmi Nagar

In a separate incident, a small fire was reported from a building at Laxmi Nagar in east Delhi. Nobody was injured in the blaze that erupted around 11:45 pm on Friday. Fire department officials suspect a short circuit to be the cause of the fire.