8 killed in pharmacy fire in Mumbai

At least eight people, including five children, were killed Thursday in a devastating fire in India's financial capital city of Mumbai, police said.

One person, who suffered severe burn injuries in the blaze, was being treated at a hospital.

The fire broke out inside ground floor of a building at Andheri housing pharmacy and spread to two other floors above it.

"In a devastating fire incident at a small building here today, eight people were killed and one injured," a police official said. "Of the dead five were children and the youngest was few month old baby."

Reports said the family was sleeping on the first floor and found themselves trapped when the fire broke out.

"The fire broke out at around 6:00 a.m. (local time) and quickly engulfed the entire building," a local resident said.

The cause of blaze was being ascertained. However investigators suspect short-circuit and cylinder blast in the pharmacy as the reason.

The fire was doused by the firefighters, who reached the spot minutes after the incident.

Chances of fire in Indian villages and cites are usually high as people usually ignore safety standards vis-a-vis fire and store fuel and combustible materials in a haphazard manner. Endit