At least 12 people were killed when a fire engulfed a snack shop in the Saki Naka-Kurla area of Mumbai early on Monday morning. At least five others are suspected to be trapped in the rubble and rescue operations are continuing.
The BMC said the fire occurred at the Bhanu Farsan shop on Khairani Road near Saki Naka around 4am. The shop's structure collapsed due to the fire; the fire engulfed edibles, clothes and furniture. Eyewitnesses claimed around five employees managed to flee but the victims, all staff of the shop, were trapped in the building. The fire brigade put down the flames within 10 minutes. The victims died of suffocation and burns.
The exact cause of the fire has not been ascertained yet though some media reports claimed it could have been started by a short circuit.