Mumbai,
Fourteen persons, including 11 women, were killed in a fire that broke out at “1 Above” pub in the Kamala Mills building, Lower Parel, shortly after midnight. The fire, in which 21 persons were also injured, started at the pub terrace after 12.30 am on Friday and spread to Mojo pub on the third floor, one level below, said a BMC official.

The two gutted pubs are located in the Trade House Building in Kamala Mills compound, a popular night spot as well as commercial hub housing several offices, including TV channels.

The massive blaze, that engulfed the entire building in 30 minutes, took several hours to be put out.

Among the dead was Khushbu Bansali, who was celebrating her 29th birthday, and 10 other women. Her grandfather Babulal Mehta blamed the “irresponsible” hotel management and the civic authorities. “The hotel had put up a temporary structure supported by bamboo. There was no fire extinguishing facility,” he said.

Patrons could not find the exit as the pub was dimly lit. Most of the dead, who had locked themselves inside the restaurant toilet, were suffocated. Several of the injured were trampled upon by panicky customers. “Almost all died due to asphyxiation. None died due to flames, but due to fumes,” Dr Harish Pathak of KEM Hospital said. Dr Rajesh Dhere, who conducted the postmortems, said all victims would have been alive had they shut themselves in a room with proper ventilation.

People took to the social media to state that Kamala Mills lacked a fire evacuation plan. MP Jaya Bachchan said the entire complex resembled a maze or a haunted house. CM Devendra Fadnavis said he had directed the BMC Commissioner to conduct an inquiry.