Two dead, 17 injured in major fire in Mumbai high-rise

At least two persons were killed and 17 others injured, three of them seriously, in a major fire that broke out on the 18th floor of a residential building in Tardeo area of central Mumbai on Saturday morning, an official said.

The blaze erupted around 7 am in Kamla building located opposite Gandhi Hospital at Gowalia Tank, the official of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said.

"It is a ground plus 20-storey building. The fire broke out on its 18th floor. On being alerted, the fire brigade personnel and police rushed the spot. Thirteen fire engines, seven water jetties, among others, are involved in the firefighting operation," he said, adding that it was tagged as a level-3 (major) fire.

Several persons were injured in the fire. While 15 of them were taken to the nearby Bhatia Hospital, four others were rushed to the Nair Hospital, the official said.

"Doctors at the Nair Hospital said that two of them were brought dead, while the condition of the remaining two is stable and they are being treated," he said.

Doctors at the Bhatia Hospital said that of the 15 injured persons who were brought there, 12 have been admitted to the general ward. The condition of three others is critical and they are being treated in the intensive care unit (ICU) , he added.

According to the official, the firefighting and rescue operation is still on.