Factory collapse in India kills 11

By Ahmad Adil

CHANDIGARH, India (AA) - The death toll from a factory collapse in northern India rose to 11 on Tuesday, emergency officials said.

A plastic manufacturing factory collapsed in Ludhiana city, located 340 kilometers (211 miles) from the capital New Delhi, after it caught fire on Monday morning.

“We have recovered 11 bodies so far. A search operation is underway,” Kishan Lal, a senior fire-fighting official in the city told Anadolu Agency.

The fatalities include six firefighters who were engaged in rescue efforts.

The fire-fighting department cannot determine the exact number of people who are trapped beneath the debris, said Bhupinder Singh, the city’s assistant divisional fire officer, according to local daily Indian Express.

The daily added that the factory owner was rushed to the hospital on Monday after he suffered a heart attack.

Chief Minister Amarinder Singh announced a probe into the incident on Tuesday during his visit to the factory site.

He announced a compensation of 1 million Indian rupees ($15,409.5) for government employees and 200,000 Indian rupees ($3,081.9) for civilians killed in the incident.