Fire at training centre in India's Lucknow kills 15

LUCKNOW, INDIA:

At least 15 people, mostly students, were killed in a fire at an animation training centre in Lucknow in northern India on ​Monday, authorities said.

Local media said the fire erupted in the Aliganj area of the city, trapping several people inside the building.

Television footage of the aftermath showed emergency responders and uniformed personnel carrying bodies from the site as large crowds gathered nearby.

Police said around 21 students were present in the centre when the fire broke out, adding that two were seriously injured and four were stable.

“This is a major incident, it’s very saddening,” Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak told media, adding that the cause of the fire was being investigated. He stated that the centre trained students to create animations.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed grief over the incident “Anguished by the loss of lives in a fire mishap in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. My condolences to the bereaved families,” an official statement by the premier’s office read on X.

“May the injured recover at the earliest,” it added. He also highlighted that the rescue operations were underway and authorities were providing all “possible” assistance to those affected by the blaze.

The Indian prime minister further announced “an ex-gratia of INR200,000 from Prime Minister's National Relief Fund” to be given to the “next of kin of each deceased.”

Furthermore, the injured were promised a support grant of INR50,000 by the PM.

The incident comes just weeks after a deadly hotel fire in Delhi claimed the lives of at least 20 people, including over 10 foreign nationals, renewing concerns over fire safety standards in the country.