The building’s owner, Rihan, who goes by one name, was detained on suspicion of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, Mittal said. A resident of the area, Mohammed Naushad, said he was woken by people wailing at around 4:30 a.m. They earned as little as 150 rupees ($2.10) per day making handbags, caps and other garments, sleeping at the factory between long shifts. Many of the victims were asleep when the blaze began, according to Yogesh, a police spokesman who uses one name. In 1997, a fire in a movie theatre in New Delhi killed 59 people.

Source: thestar December 08, 2019 04:37 UTC