Two killed, 11 injured in Mumbai slum fire; 2000 shanties destroyed

Mumbai: A massive fire in Mumbai's Damu Nagar slums of Kandivali area on Monday killed two people and injured 11 others.

Multiple gas cylinder explosions triggered the fire that gutted down at least 2000 shanties, locals said.

16 fire brigade engines rushed to the spot to contain the situation.

Fire department officials seized 25-30 cooking gas cylinders that had exploded and handed them over to the Samta Nagar police for further investigations.

Gusty winds fuelled the fire and resulted in its rapid spread. According to reports, more than 50 per cent of the shanties had an average of two gas cylinders.

The incident once again highlighted the unsafe living conditions present in the slums. The haphazard arrangement of shanties with very little space between adjacent huts, loose electrical connections, no proper structures, illegal storage of gas cylinders without any safety precautions, etc. made the slum areas more susceptible to accidents and human loss.

(Photo: indiasamvad.co.in)