One killed, nine missing after fire breaks out at Himachal cosmetics factory

Feb 02, 2024

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], February 2 : One person was killed and nine others were missing after a massive fire broke out earlier in the day at a cosmetic factory in Himachal Pradesh's Solan district, officials said.
"One death has been confirmed so far and nine people are missing. The dowsing operation will continue throughout the night and we will get more details in the morning. Action will be taken against the people responsible," Himachal Pradesh Health Minister Dhani Ram Shandil said.
Meanwhile, Himachal Pradesh DGP Sanjay Kundus said that "actions will be taken after the relief and rescue work is done."
"This is a perfume factory and there are chemicals and ethyl alcohol used in the factory because of which it has been difficult to control the fire. Our priority is to take the injured to the hospital. Actions will be taken after the relief and rescue work is done. Firefighters, NDRF and SDRF are working to control the fire," Kundu said.
Onkar Sharma, Additional Chief Secretary, Disaster Management, Himachal Pradesh, said that they don't exactly know how many people are "trapped" inside the factory. He added that work is going on to rescue them as early as possible.
"We got to know about this 2-3 hours ago and Solan DC has also reached the spot. 12 fire tenders and a team of NDRF are working to douse the fire. Around 41 out of the 60 people inside have been rescued. Among them, 19 people are injured and have been admitted to a hospital. We have no exact data on the people trapped inside but work is going on to rescue them as early as possible," Sharma said.