LUCKNOW: A fire in a building housing a library and coaching center for students in India killed at least 14 people on Monday, officials said.
The fire in Lucknow, the capital of the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, broke out on the middle floor of a three-story commercial building in a residential area and quickly spread to other levels.
“Fourteen children from happy families were killed in the incident,” state Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak told reporters, adding that four others were injured in the fire.
It was not clear whether all of the dead were students.
Several students jumped from the upper level of the building to the street below to escape the flames, witnesses told an AFP journalist.
Indian television showed footage of flames shooting out of the front facade of the building as firefighters struggled to put out the blaze.
The building housed a coaching center for middle school students, a library and a computer graphics section.
Building fires are common in India due to lack of firefighting equipment and systematic non-compliance with safety regulations.
Electrical short circuits, often caused by poorly maintained wiring, remain the leading cause of fires in India.
“Stern action will be taken against those responsible,” Pathak said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “anguished by the loss of life” and announced financial assistance of more than $2,100 for each family, his office said in a message posted on social media.
The cause of the latest fire, which occurred about two weeks after a hotel fire killed 21 people in the capital New Delhi, was not immediately known.
In March, a fire at a public hospital in eastern India killed 10 seriously ill patients.
In 2019, a major fire in Delhi killed 43 factory workers sleeping in a building in the old city.
