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1 dead after jumping from 19th floor to escape Mumbai fire

India Building Fire (ASSOCIATED PRESS)
India Building Fire (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

At least one person died after jumping from the 19th floor to escape a fire that engulfed a 61-story luxury apartment building in Mumbai in western India on Friday, a fire official said.

Fifteen people were rescued, fire officer Pardhi said.

The fire has been brought under control, but the rescue work was continuing, said Pardhi, who uses one name.

Television images showed heavy black smoke billowing into the sky from the 19th floor apartment on Curry Road in south Mumbai, India’s financial and entertainment capital.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known, Pardhi said.

He said 16 fire engines and eight water tankers were deployed to extinguish the blaze.

Kailash Aggarwal, the building owner, said there are 400 apartments in the building and all residents were accounted for.

Fires are common in India, where building laws and safety norms are often flouted by builders and residents.

In August, a fire killed eight coronavirus patients at a hospital in Ahmedabad a key city in Gujarat state. In December 2018, a late-night fire in a Mumbai restaurant killed 15 people.