india

Updated: Feb 12, 2019 20:27 IST

Five workers of a plastic chair manufacturing factory have been reported as missing after a fire gutted the factory on Monday in West Bengal.

The fire broke out around 12 noon and flames engulfed the two-storied building which was full of inflammable material within minutes. The flames were not fully doused even on Tuesday morning.

Those missing are Munna Prasad, Paltu Duari, Subhash Roy, Sanjib Paria and Nityananda Roy. They are all aged between 30 and 40 years.

Local MLA and finance minister Amit Mitra visited the spot on Tuesday morning.

“The fire is almost fully under control. As many as 25 fire engines were deployed to fight the flames. Now a team will enter the factory and search for the five who are missing,” said Mitra.

“We will also conduct an enquiry into whether there were lapses and will take strong steps,” added Mitra.

“I have heard that a few persons were trapped inside. Fire fighters are trying to enter the factory. The fire could have resulted from an electrical short circuit,” said fire services minister Sujit Bose.

Both the owner and the manager of the unit can’t be traced. Locals alleged that they escaped on Monday after the disaster.

There were about 65 workers inside the factory when the fire broke out.

The ground floor was full of chemicals. Polymer foam used to make chairs was stored on the first floor. Till 2 pm on Tuesday, the fire fighters were trying to enter the first floor.

“Though we managed to escape as soon as the flames were seen, we later came know that five of our colleagues were missing and were probably trapped on the first floor,” said Ganesh Basu, a worker at the unit.