Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Mar 11: Tragedy struck early on Tuesday morning when a fire engulfed a tent in which three migrant workers from Uttar Pradesh were sleeping in East Delhi's Anand Vihar area, resulting in their deaths.

The victims have been identified as Kanta Prasad (37), Jaggi (30), and Shyam Singh (40), all of whom were employed by Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) as contract workers. The workers were staying in temporary accommodation near a DDA plot on Manglam Road, close to the Rotary Club office.

The fire department received an emergency call at 2:22 a.m., and three fire tenders were quickly dispatched to the scene. The flames were brought under control by 2:50 a.m., according to a fire official. Despite the rapid response, the three men were unable to escape the blaze.

A fourth worker, Nitin Singh (32), who had been sharing the tent with the victims, managed to flee the fire but was unharmed. Initial investigations suggest that the fire started from a lamp used for lighting the tent, and when the flames spread, a nearby gas cylinder exploded.

The police stated that the workers had locked the tent’s makeshift door before going to sleep, which may have contributed to their inability to escape when the fire broke out. The fire department, along with the Crime and Forensic Science teams, has conducted an inspection of the site. The bodies of the deceased have been sent to a mortuary for post-mortem.

A First Information Report (FIR) has been filed at the Anand Vihar police station for causing death by negligence, as confirmed by Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) Prashant Gautam.

In addition, police questioned Rampal, the father of the deceased Kanta and Shyam Singh, about how Nitin Singh managed to escape while the others perished. The source revealed that Rampal had left the tent after dinner and was not present when the fire spread.

The investigation is ongoing as the authorities continue to piece together the circumstances surrounding the fatal incident.