4 of family killed in building fire in New Delhi

Four members of a family were killed and three others injured in a fire at a four-storey building here on Friday, officials said.

"The fire broke out in the stilt parking of the building in Delhi's Kohat Enclave early this morning. A couple and their two minor children who were sleeping in their first floor flat died of suffocation while three other residents in other flats were injured," a fire official said.

Some 10 fire tenders were pressed into service and they took nearly two hours to douse the flames, he said. "The injured have been admitted to a local hospital," the official added.

Preliminary probe has indicated an electrical short-circuit to be the cause behind the fire, he said. "However, we will wait for a final investigation report and also see if all basic safety norms were followed in the building."

Fires are common in residential buildings and factories in India because of lack of regards for basic fire safety norms and absence of fire-fighting equipment.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)