Fire engulfs Mumbai building, killing at least 15 people

NEW DELHI – At least 15 people were killed and more than 50 injured in a fire that broke out in a restaurant in Mumbai, India’s financial and entertainment capital, early Friday, officials said.

The fire quickly spread from the top-floor restaurant through a four-story building, said fire official Balkrishna Kadam.

More than 50 people have been taken to a hospital. The dead included 11 women, fire officials said.

The building, located in the formerly industrial area of central Mumbai, houses several upscale restaurants that had moved in over the past few years to make it a popular nightlife destination, the New Delhi Television channel reported.

“There was a stampede and someone pushed me. People were running over me even as the ceiling above me was collapsing in flames. Still don’t know how I got out alive,“’ Mumbai gynecologist Sulbha Arora tweeted.

She said was at the restaurant when the fire started and “before we knew it the whole place was engulfed in a matter of seconds.”

Several TV news channels operating from the compound had to shut down broadcast, reportedly due to damage to their equipment.

Eight fire engines battled the blaze for more than five hours, Kadam said.

The cause of the fire that started around 1 a.m. Friday is under investigation.