Delhi probes Vivek Vihar fire killing 9, mayor vows action
After a tragic fire at Vivek Vihar on May 3, Delhi's municipal authorities are looking into whether the building broke any safety rules.
The blaze, likely sparked by an air conditioner explosion or short circuit around 3:30am spread quickly and claimed nine lives, including four men, four women, and a child.
Three more people were injured; one sustained more than 40% burn injuries.
Mayor Parwesh Wahi said action would follow against erring officials if a violation is found in the approval of the building plan.
Early findings: blocked grills, extra flats
A joint inspection by fire and labor officials is set for May 5 to dig deeper into what went wrong.
Early findings point to blocked grills that slowed rescues, and extra flats built, eight instead of six.
There were also issues with staircase design not matching safety codes, possibly making the fire worse due to something called the stack effect.
Officials are now checking if the building had a completion certificate.