Perfume factory fire kills 5

2008-03-17 19:27

Mumbai - A fire broke out on Monday in a perfume factory in the western Indian city of Mumbai, killing five workers and injuring another 35, a hospital official said.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known.

Firefighters removed five bodies and rescued 45 people from the factory, which also makes air fresheners in Mumbai's central Byculla district, said Manohar Patil, a casualty officer at JJ Hospital.

Mumbai is India's financial and entertainment centre.

Thirty-five people with burn injuries were hospitalised, Patil told The Associated Press.

Half a dozen fire engines extinguished the blaze after battling it for nearly three hours, a police officer said.

He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to talk to reporters.

- AP