A devastating fire engulfed a three-story commercial building on Usha Mehta Marg in Lucknow's Aliganj area on Monday, resulting in the deaths of at least fifteen individuals, with several others sustaining injuries. The blaze, which broke out around 3 pm and was later brought under control by fourteen fire tenders, trapped people inside establishments including an animation center, a coaching center, and a pet shop, leading to eyewitness accounts of individuals jumping from the building to escape the flames. Twenty-one to twenty-two children were brought to King George's Medical University hospital, where fifteen were declared dead and five with minor injuries, including two children with back injuries from jumping, were admitted for treatment. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak visited the site and the hospital, with the Chief Minister cutting short his program elsewhere to address the tragedy and express condolences, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced ex-gratia payments for the deceased and injured, and other national leaders also offered their sympathies.

A devastating fire engulfed a three-story commercial building on Usha Mehta Marg in Lucknow's Aliganj area on Monday, resulting in the deaths of at least fifteen individuals, with several others sustaining injuries. The blaze, which broke out around 3 pm and was later brought under control by fourteen fire tenders, trapped people inside establishments including an animation center, a coaching center, and a pet shop, leading to eyewitness accounts of individuals jumping from the building to escape the flames. Twenty-one to twenty-two children were brought to King George's Medical University hospital, where fifteen were declared dead and five with minor injuries, including two children with back injuries from jumping, were admitted for treatment. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak visited the site and the hospital, with the Chief Minister cutting short his program elsewhere to address the tragedy and express condolences, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced ex-gratia payments for the deceased and injured, and other national leaders also offered their sympathies.

A devastating fire engulfed a three-story commercial building on Usha Mehta Marg in Lucknow's Aliganj area on Monday, resulting in the deaths of at least fifteen individuals, with several others sustaining injuries. The blaze, which broke out around 3 pm and was later brought under control by fourteen fire tenders, trapped people inside establishments including an animation center, a coaching center, and a pet shop, leading to eyewitness accounts of individuals jumping from the building to escape the flames. Twenty-one to twenty-two children were brought to King George's Medical University hospital, where fifteen were declared dead and five with minor injuries, including two children with back injuries from jumping, were admitted for treatment. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak visited the site and the hospital, with the Chief Minister cutting short his program elsewhere to address the tragedy and express condolences, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced ex-gratia payments for the deceased and injured, and other national leaders also offered their sympathies.

At least 15 people were brought dead to King George's Medical University (KGMU) hospital in Lucknow, and a few others with injuries after a massive fire gutted a three-storey commercial building in the city on Monday.

The fire broke out in a building located on Usha Mehta Marg in the Aliganj area and trapped several people inside. The building housed a few establishments, including an animation centre, a coaching centre and a pet shop.

Dr Anil Agrawal, medical superintendent of the Trauma Centre at KGMU, said around 21 to 22 children were brought to the hospital following the incident. "Fifteen people have been brought in a deceased state. They will be sent to the morgue for autopsy after completing the inquest procedure," he said.

According to him, five people sustained minor injuries and were admitted for treatment. Two children who jumped from the building suffered back injuries and were undergoing treatment after CT scans and other medical procedures.

Eyewitnesses describe the panic

Eyewitnesses said several people jumped from the building as flames rapidly engulfed the structure.

Aman, an eyewitness, said smoke was seen coming out of the building before the situation escalated. "There is a library or a computer course institution here. When we reached here, we saw smoke coming from the building. We saved five-six people. After the fire broke out, a man jumped from the building, and he was seriously injured. There are still some people trapped inside," he told news agency ANI.

Fourteen fire tenders, including a hydraulic platform vehicle, were deployed to bring the blaze under control. The fire was reported at around 3 pm.

Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, who visited the site, said the fire appeared to have broken out at an animation centre.

"The fire broke out suddenly. It was an animation centre. While there is no immediate clarity about the sequence of events, it seems that the children ran towards the back side when the fire broke out but they couldn't survive. While there is no clarity about the exact figure, I saw 11-12 bodies from my own eyes," he told reporters.

CM Adityanath visits the cite, hospital

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited the hospital and met the families of the victims. He also inspected the site of the fire.

The CM cut short his scheduled programme in Aligarh and returned to Lucknow after receiving information about the incident. "It was my heartfelt wish to be in Aligarh today, but I regret to say that I have just received information about a tragic fire incident in Lucknow. Some children were caught in the blaze and have tragically lost their lives. Therefore, I have to return immediately. I express my condolences to the families of those who lost their lives," he said, while addressing a crowd in Aligarh.

PM, President, Vice President condole loss of lives

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the incident and announced an ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased and ₹50,000 for the injured. "Anguished by the loss of lives in a fire mishap in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. My condolences to the bereaved families. May the injured recover at the earliest. Rescue operations are underway and authorities are providing all possible assistance," Modi said on X.

President Droupadi Murmu also expressed sorrow over the tragedy. "The news of the deaths of numerous people in the horrific fire accident that occurred in Lucknow is extremely sad. I express my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. I pray for the swift recovery of the injured," she said.

Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan described the loss of lives as deeply painful and offered condolences to the affected families.

Akhilesh Yadav seeks probe

Samajwadi Party chief and former UP CM Akhilesh Yadav expressed grief over the deaths and called for a thorough investigation into the incident.

"Our heartfelt tribute to those who lost their lives in the fire at a coaching centre in Lucknow. Our deepest condolences to the bereaved families who have lost their loved ones," he was quoted as saying.

Calling it an "extremely tragic incident", Yadav said the government should ensure the best possible treatment for the injured and conduct an honest probe into the causes of the fire.

"There should be an honest investigation into the causes behind it—those children could have belonged to anyone's family. Preventing such heartbreaking accidents in the future should be our collective endeavor," he said.

—with PTI inputs