Seven killed in Mumbai high-rise blaze

Mumbai, June 6  Seven people were killed and 26 others injured in a major fire that engulfed three floors of a 21-storeyed building in the upmarket Powai area of Mumbai on Saturday evening, an official said.

According to the BMC Disaster Control, the fire broke out around 6 p.m. on the 13th floor of the Lake Home Society Building No.3 and quickly spread to the 14th and 15th floors.

As firemen battled the blaze and launched rescue efforts to save the trapped residents, seven people -- two women and five men -- were killed.

At least 22 people were rescued unhurt, and 26 more who suffered injuries -- 13 men and 13 women -- were rushed to the nearby Hiranandani Hospital.

According to preliminary reports, the residents who died suffocated in the lift when they were trying to escape the flames.

The cause of the fire was not immediately clear, but the blaze was brought under control by 10 p.m. Rescue and relief operations were still on.

One fire officer of the Mumbai Fire Brigade sustained injuries while battling the blaze, but his condition is reported to be stable in a hospital.

The fire brigade deployed at least 15 fire tenders, including a sophisticated snorkel which managed to reach the affected floors for dousing the blaze and also rescuing the trapped residents.