Massive fire destroys museum in Indian capital

A massive fire broke out Tuesday in a multi-storied building in Indian capital city New Delhi, destroying a museum, officials said.

Six firefighters were injured while trying to douse the flames.

The fire broke out early Tuesday and the flames engulfed the building of a trade body (FICCI) housing National Museum of Natural History.

"The fire erupted at the top floor of the building in Mandi House locality at around 1:45 a.m. (local time) and soon spread down to other floors," a police official told media. "The injured firemen have been admitted in RML hospital."

About 40 fire tenders were rushed to douse the blaze. Officials said firefighters struggled for four hours to contain the inferno.

India's minister of Environment and Forests Prakash Javadekar visited the site Tuesday morning and described the incident as "unfortunate".

"This is tragic, the museum is a national treasure," Javadekar told media. "The loss cannot be quantified."

A local television news channel NDTV quoting a senior fire official said the building's "fire safety mechanisms were not working".

Javadekar has ordered a fire audit of all 34 museums across India.

The museum set up in 1972 in the city comes under ministry of Environment and Forests.

The National Museum of Natural History, as it is named, is one of two museums focusing on nature in India.

The museum showcased herpetological specimen, dinosaurs and mounted animals.

However, it was not immediately known how much was lost in the inferno.

The museum was popular with school children and biologists and witnessed around 1,000 visitors every day, reports said.

Police officials have registered a case and initiated investigations to ascertain the cause of fire.

On Sunday a similar fire broke out in a multi-storied building in city.

Chances of fire in India cities are usually high as people usually ignore safety standards vis-a-vis fire. Endit