Six family members die in Katni shop fire on Diwali night
The victims were trapped in a three-storey building after a blaze erupted at a plastic goods unit on the ground floor.
Six members of a family died during a fire at a plastic goods and wholesale shop in the Barhi area of Katni, Madhya Pradesh, on Sunday night. According to ANI, the blaze started on the ground floor of a three-storey building where Puran Lal Agrawal owned a plastic-related unit.
The fire trapped the family members who lived on the upper floors of the structure. Sub-Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) Virendra Narve said the deceased included three young children, one woman, and two elderly individuals aged approximately 70 years.
State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) official Vijayansh Chaudhary said the rescue operation lasted about five and a half hours. He confirmed that six bodies were recovered using fire brigade vehicles and noted that while there was no active fire, smoke was still rising from the site.
SDOP Narve stated that the cause of the fire is currently unknown but speculated it might have been triggered by a short circuit or a diya. An investigation is underway to establish the exact cause.
In separate incidents across the Chhatarpur district, at least 35 people reported severe burn injuries related to firecrackers during Diwali festivities, according to The Indian Express.