The family and relatives of the 29 people missing since the inferno, at a commercial four-storyed building in Mundka, are searching for their loved one at Sanjay Gandhi hospital. Sitting outside the hospital and most of them with tears in their eyes were just waiting for any information by the hospital staff or authorities on their loved ones.
Charred bodies were also recovered by the rescuers and many of the grieving relatives, who since Friday night had gathered at the Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital at Mangolpuri, awaited identification of charred bodies of their kin. Some people were crying inconsolably as the hospital staff called them to identify charred remains. Many were seen uttering a silent prayer as the fear of the worst loomed large.
The fire had started from the first floor of the commercial building that houses the office of a CCTV camera and router manufacturing and assembling company. It is suspected that an explosion in an AC may have triggered it.
Monica (21), who is among the people missing, had started working for the company last month. Her brother, Ajit, said, "She received her first salary on Thursday. We got to know about the fire around 5 pm on Friday, but we had no idea that it occurred at her office building. We started looking for her after she did not return home by 7 pm."
Another woman, frantically looking for her elder daughter who also works at the CCTV camera packaging unit, said she has been searching in other hospitals as well.
"My daughter Pooja has been working at the CCTV camera packaging unit for the last three months. We live in Mubarakpur and got to know about the incident at 9 pm. She has a cut mark below her left eye. We are looking for her at various hospitals. She is the sole breadwinner of our family of four. Her two younger sisters are school students," she said.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer) Sameer Sharma, the company owners — Harish Goel and Vijay Goel who were detained have been arrested in connection with the incident.
An FIR has been registered against them under sections 304 (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide), 120 (concealing design to commit offence punishable with imprisÂonment) and 34 (Common intention) of the Indian Penal Code, he said.
All floors of the building were being used by the same company, the DCP said.
The building's owner, Manish Lakra, has also been booked, the police said. Identities of all but one of the 12 injured have been ascertained, an official said.
According to a list released by the district magistrate of West Delhi, the injured are Staish (38), Pradeep (36), Ashu (22), Harjeet (23), Nitin (24), Avinash (29), Sandhya (22), Dhanvanti (21), Bimla (43), Ayesha (24) and Mamta (52).
The building in which the fire broke out is located near pillar number 544 of the Mundka metro station.