Fire breaks out at Mumbai high-rise, 1 dead

Mumbai, Oct 22: A security guard fell to death from the balcony of a flat located on the 19th floor of a 61-storey residential building in central Mumbai after a major fire broke out there on Friday.

The fire erupted in the Avighna Park building on Currey Road, the official said. Eight fire tenders were rushed to the spot, he added.

There are no reports of any casualty so far, he said, adding search and rescue operations are underway.

However, the visuals showed a man falling from the building's 19th floor that was engulfed in flames and was declared dead on arrival at the civic-body run KEM Hospital.

"After the fire broke out, Arun Tiwari, a security guard of the building, rushed to the 19th floor. Soon he realised that he was trapped and in order to save himself from the blaze, he kept hanging from the balcony of the flat where the fire had erupted. He precariously clung to the railing of the balcony for several minutes before losing his grip and falling to death," the official said.

The fire brigade declared it as a level-4 (major) fire. Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar, who visited the building, said two persons were still trapped inside the building although most of the residents have been rescued.

Talking to reporters, Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal said the fire has been doused and the cooling operation is on. An inquiry will be carried out into the incident, he said.