Nine dead in factory fire in Haridwar

Nine workers were charred to death when a major fire broke out in the factory of Onida, an electronics manufacturing company, at Mandawali in Manglaur area of Haridwar district, a police official on Thursday said.

The fire, which broke out last evening, is still raging in a part of the factory premises and eight fire tenders are trying to douse the blaze, said Arun Kumar Pandey, Deputy Superintendent of Police of Manglaur.

A search and rescue operation is being conducted and four bodies have so far recovered from the factory, which is almost gutted in the fire, he said.

There might be more workers being trapped in the factory, he said.

The exact cause of the fire was still not known but the welding process going on in the upper floor of the building might have caused the fire, Pandey said.