Fire-hit Bangalore towers sealed; cases booked against owners

BANGALORE - The charred Carlton Towers in Bangalore were sealed a day after a major fire broke out Tuesday claiming nine lives and injuring about 50 people, a fire brigade official said Wednesday.

“We have sealed the entire premises to investigate the cause of the fire and ascertain whether the seven-storey building had fire safety systems in place,” Bangalore Fire Brigade director D.B. Chengappa told IANS.

The police also booked cases of negligence and culpable homicide not amounting to murder against the building owners.

“The government has ordered an inquiry in the fire mishap and directed the Bangalore Bruhat Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to review fire safety measures in all high-rise buildings across the city,” Chengappa said.

Of the injured, seven are in the intensive care unit at the nearby Manipal Hospital and 15 are in the medical ward. The remaining were discharged earlier in the day.

“No further casualties. Seven of the critically injured are being treated in the ICU while 15 others are under observation in the medical ward. Rest have been sent home,” a hospital source said.

Of the nine people who died, six were men and three were women.