New Delhi:
A 22-year-old labourer miraculously managed to escape the inferno that gutted an unauthorised garment factory and killed 13 people in Sahibabad on Friday.
Rizwan, who hails from Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh, was on the ground floor of the building when the blaze broke out. He took refuge in a toilet and remained there until a man demolished its wall and pulled him out alive.
However, Rizwan's three siblings, two of them cousins, were not so lucky. The trio could not left the building as they were on the upper floor.
A visibly shaken Rizwan told News Nation that he and his brothers were working at the factory for the past six months.
Video: Blaze at unauthorised garment factory kills 13, locals accuse fire brigade of apathy
Sources said that many lives could have been saved if there was an effective firefighting system.
Sources pointed out the apathy of the fire tenders who reached the spot two hours late.
The local residents tried to douse the flames themselves using water and fire extinguishers. They later managed to demolish a wall and took some bodies out.
Sources said that there were at least 20 people working at the factory when the fire broke out due to a short circuit at about 5.20am.
