At least 15 people have died in a massive fire that broke out in a three-storey building in Lucknow's Aliganj area on Monday. Preliminary findings suggest that the fire may have originated in the building's AC duct.
Rescue personnel used stretchers to bring people out of the building, while others breached a wall to ease the movement of stretchers into the affected premises.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the loss of lives and extended his condolences to the bereaved families. He also announced an ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the next of kin of each deceased.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath directed officials to oversee relief and rescue operations, while UP deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak said that rescue teams were conducting a room-by-room search to ensure everyone is evacuated safely.
