21 killed, 28 still missing in Bengal's momo warehouse, godown fire; factory owner absconding

AT least 21 people have died and 28 remain missing after a massive fire engulfed two godowns and a momo manufacturing unit in Anandapur, located in the South 24 Parganas district near Kolkata of West Bengal.

The momo factory has said in a statement that it has lost two employees and a contracted guard in the January 26 fire. With 28 still missing and a fire of this extent, the death toll is likely to rise.

The owner of the factory, Gangadhar Das, is absconding and an FIR has been registered against him, a senior police officer said. His phone is also said to be switched off and efforts are underway to trace his whereabouts.

“An FIR has been registered against the owner. He has not been traceable since the incident, and his mobile phone remains switched off,” the police officer said, adding, “Raids are being conducted, and all possible locations are being verified.”

Momo company announces lifetime salary

The momo company, which said to have lost three of its employees, has announced ₹10 lakh compensation and “lifetime monthly salary” support to their next of kin.

“As part of its commitment, the company announced a lump-sum compensation of ₹10 lakh to each affected family, lifetime monthly salary support for the bereaved families and education support for the children of the deceased,” the statement read.

The devastating fire reduced to ashes a godown and a manufacturing unit of the momo company at Anandapur in the South 24 Parganas district.

In a statement, quick service restaurant and packaged food company Wow! Momo said the blaze, which broke out around 3 am on January 26 at a neighbouring warehouse, spread rapidly into one of its godown premises, leading to a complete burnout of the facility.

How did the fire begin?

According to the statement, the fire reportedly originated due to unauthorised cooking activities at the adjoining warehouse. “This fire engulfed not only our men, but our spirit too.”

The regulatory lapses have been found in the operations of the factory. Fire department officials have said that the factory unit was operating without mandatory fire safety clearance.

“There was no fire safety clearance issued for this unit,” a senior fire services official was quoted as saying by PTI in the presence of Fire and Emergency Services Minister Sujit Bose.

The Bengal government has also announced ₹10 lakh ex gratia to the kin of the victims.

The compensation will be handed over once the bodies or body parts are identified, Hakim said, adding that permission would be sought from a court on Wednesday to conduct DNA tests.

One person was arrested in connection with the fire incident.