Mumbai's Kamla Mill fire a case of negligence, FIR filed

Mumbai : Calling Kamla Mill fire incident a case of negligence, the cops have registered a FIR to investigate it. 15 people were killed and several injured when a major fire broke out in a pub here early on Friday, an official said.

The blaze was reported around 12.30 a.m. from a bistro The Mojo, a rooftop restaurant in The Kamla Trade House, in Lower Parel area of south Mumbai.

It quickly spread to another surrounding pub and a restaurant in the Kamla Mills Compound, said a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Disaster Control official.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Ram Nath Kovind and Mahrashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis have expressed grief over the sad incident.

Majority of deaths were reported due to suffocation caused by smoke inside the building. The injured people were rushed to a nearby KEM Hospital, Bhatia Hospital and Airoli Burns Hospital.

Mumbai Police have booked the owner of the pub for negligence, culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Initially the blaze was suspected to be triggered by an electric short-circuit.

The blaze comes as a huge setback to the government's plans to make nightlife attractive by permitting all shops/malls to function round-the-clock, to generate more employment.

Barely nine days ago the state government had notified the amendments, though it was not made applicable to bars, pubs, discotheques and wine shops.

(with IANS inputs)