Kolkata: Located in Anandapur area of ​​Kolkata, Wow! The massive fire that broke out in a warehouse of Momo and another warehouse adjacent to it has shocked the entire city. At least 16 burnt bodies have been recovered so far in this tragic accident, while more than 13 people are feared missing. The administration, fire department and relief agencies are on high alert and continuous search operations are being conducted at the incident site.

Fire broke out in the early hours, two warehouses affected

This accident happened around 3 am on January 26, when a sudden fire broke out in two warehouses located in Nazirabad area of ​​Anandpur. One of these warehouses was used to store dried flowers, while the other warehouse was used for quick service restaurants and packed food company Wow! It was Momo’s. The fire took a huge form within no time and both the buildings were engulfed by it.

Inflammable material increased the devastation

About 12 vehicles of the fire department reached the spot and efforts to extinguish the fire were started. However, according to local people, dry food items and packaged goods were kept in the warehouse, due to which the fire spread rapidly. The fire was brought under control from outside, but due to the huge amount of flammable material present inside, the fire continued to smolder for a long time. Police sources said that remains of burnt bones were still found inside the building, which shows the magnitude of the accident.

Recovery of bodies from the debris continues

Three bodies were taken out from the debris on the first day, after which an earth moving machine was deployed to remove the debris. By the evening of 27 January, eight bodies had been recovered and subsequently eight more human remains were found. The condition of the dead bodies is so bad that it is becoming very difficult to identify them.

Family searching for missing laborers

As soon as the news of the incident was received, the relatives of the workers working in the warehouses started reaching the spot. Many families lodged complaints at Narendrapur police station in South 24 Parganas that their relatives’ phones were switched off and they could not be contacted. A total of 21 laborers have been reported missing. During the chaos, four laborers somehow managed to escape with their lives. It is being told that many of the deceased and missing laborers were from Moyna assembly constituency of Purba Medinipur.

leaders visit

After the incident, Minister of State Arup Biswas, MPs Saini Ghosh and Sujit Bose visited the spot. Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim, while inspecting the spot on the instructions of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, called it a very sad incident. He said that the cause of the fire is being thoroughly investigated.

Identification will be done through DNA test

Due to difficulty in identification of dead bodies, the administration is preparing for DNA test after the permission of the court. Identity will be confirmed through blood samples of family members. Compensation will be given only after identification and death certificate is issued.

Compensation and action

Wow! Momo has confirmed that two of its employees and a security guard have died in this accident. The company has announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh to the affected families, lifetime monthly assistance and help in children’s education. At the same time, the West Bengal government has also announced an ex-gratia amount of Rs 10 lakh to the families of the deceased.

Negligence in fire safety, one arrested

Fire officials admitted that the warehouses were operating without mandatory fire safety clearance. Police have registered an FIR against the warehouse owners and one of the owners, Gangadhar Das, has been arrested and sent to police custody till February 4.