Dhanbad blaze: All 14 dead were kin, had gathered to attend marriage function - Hindustan Times
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Dhanbad blaze: All 14 dead were kin, had gathered to attend marriage function

Feb 01, 2023 10:32 PM IST

Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren announced monetary assistance of ?4 lakh to the families of each of the deceased.

RANCHI All 14 people who died in the blaze in Jharkhand’s Dhanbad Tuesday night, including three children and 10 women, were related to each other and had come to attend marriage function of a girl who lived on the fourth floor of the 10-storied Ashirwad Tower, people aware of the development said on Wednesday.

Residents of 'Ashirwad Tower' gather outside in Dhanbad district on Wednesday. (PTI)
Residents of 'Ashirwad Tower' gather outside in Dhanbad district on Wednesday. (PTI)

Marriage of Puja Swati, daughter of Subodh Lal, a resident of fourth floor, was scheduled at a banquet hall, around 500 metres from Ashirwad Towers, on Tuesday night. She had already left for the venue along with other relatives.

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However, a few others, mostly women and children, were on their way out from her flat when the tragedy struck, killing 14 of them, including Puja’s mother and grandfather.

“All who died in the fire had come to attend the marriage function. They belonged to different families but were related. The bodies were handed over to their respective families after autopsy,” Dhanbad senior superintendent of police (SSP) Sanjeev Kumar said.

Recounting the horror that played out at the building, eyewitnesses said the victims got trapped on the staircase as they tried to rush down in a state or confusion. Fire broke out after 6 pm in a second-floor flat, which further spread to the third and fourth floors.

“We found most of the bodies in a charred state on the staircase between the second and third floors,” said Lakshman Prasad, chief fire officer, Dhanbad.

“We came from Patna to attend the marriage. We were going down the stairs. But my husband pulled me back. I don’t know what happened later with others,” Poonam Devi, a relative of Subodh Lal, told reporters at the hospital.

Balbir Singh Rajpal, secretary of association of residents of Ashirwad Towers, said though fire safety measures were available in both the towers of the society, the fire spread fast and engulfed people, mostly non-residents.

“The power supply tripped as soon as the news of fire spread, leading to darkness inside the building. Though the building has stairs on two sides, it seems the guests were not aware of the building plan and headed towards the fire,” Rajpal said.

Meanwhile, chief minister Hemant Soren announced monetary assistance of ?4 lakh to the families of each of the deceased. The Centre too announced compensation of ?2 lakh each to the families.

The Jharkhand high court on Wednesday took suo motu cognisance of the incident and posted the matter for hearing on Thursday.

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