Kanpur hostel fire: Newly-wed couple killed, over a dozen injured

Local sources said the inferno was so huge that the flames engulfed the whole building in a matter of few minutes.
For representational purposes
For representational purposes

LUCKNOW: A newly-wed couple died of suffocation and over a dozen sustained burn injuries when a huge fire engulfed a private hostel building in Kanpur city late on Wednesday night. 

The injured were taken to a local hospital. Three of them are said to be in a critical condition. 

Local sources said the inferno was so huge that the flames engulfed the whole building in a matter of few minutes. It took a team of firefighters three hours to douse the inferno. Those trapped inside the building were subsequently rescued.

The couple was sleeping in one of the rooms.

 Around a dozen students were present in the building at the time of incident, the hostel owner said. Some jumped from the building rooftop of the building to evade the flames. 

Police sources suspect short circuit caused the fire. 

The area where the incident occured is known for coaching centres that cater to over 50,000 engineering and medical aspirants.

Sources said there are a large number of illegally run hostels in Kanpur area. The hostel building was reportedly not well equipped to handle fire.

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The New Indian Express
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