2 weeks ago
Caregiver and toddler die in Vile Parle flat fire
A fire broke out in a tall apartment building in a part of Mumbai called Vile Parle.
A young woman named Ankita Chetri was looking after a small boy named Abir Batavia.
When she saw the fire, she ran to the bedroom to save him.
She carried him into the bathroom, hoping it would keep them safe from the flames and smoke.
Sadly, the smoke was too strong, and both of them died.
Firefighters rescued other people in the building, including Abir's uncle Parth.
Abir's parents were so shocked that they could not speak.
Ankita's family had to travel from far away, from a place called Siliguri, to get her body.
Fire officials think the fire may have started because of an electrical problem in the flat.
A fire on the 11th floor of Shanta Bhuvan in Vile Parle West, Mumbai, killed 23-year-old Ankita Chetri and two-and-a-half-year-old Abir Batavia on Tuesday night.
Chetri carried Abir into the bathroom hoping to escape the flames, but both died of smoke inhalation and Abir was found in her arms.
The fire started in the hall around 9:45 pm, and officials suspect an electrical fault involving the AC unit or an iron.
Chetri's postmortem was delayed because no blood relative was present; her family was travelling from Siliguri, West Bengal to collect her body.
Parth Batavia was rescued from the balcony and taken to Nanavati Hospital, while the building's firefighting pump went unused because only a few residents knew how to operate it.
- Who
- Ankita Chetri, a 23-year-old caregiver from Siliguri, and two-and-a-half-year-old Abir Batavia, who both died; Parth Batavia was rescued and injured.
- What
- A fire engulfed the 11th-floor flat and Chetri and Abir died of smoke inhalation after she carried him into the bathroom.
- Where
- The Shanta Bhuvan building on Baptista Road, Vile Parle West, Mumbai.
- When
- Tuesday night, with the fire starting around 9:45 pm.
- Why
- Officials suspect an electrical fault involving the AC unit above the television or an iron triggered the fire.
Key facts
- Location
- Shanta Bhuvan on Baptista Road, Vile Parle West, Mumbai
- Fatalities
- Ankita Chetri (23) and Abir Batavia (two and a half years old)
- Cause of death
- Smoke inhalation
- Fire started
- Around 9:45 pm on Tuesday night
- Suspected cause
- Electrical fault involving the AC unit or an iron
- Building
- Ground-plus-11-storey complex completed in 2020 by Labh Homes Creations and Holdings
- Flat owner
- Hiren Batavia (64), managing director of Labh Homes Creations and Holdings
- Rescued
- Parth Batavia (32), taken to Nanavati Hospital; watchman Shivam Dwivedi and fire brigade official Manoj Sonawane suffered minor injuries
Quotes
Ankita Chetri
Victim who attempted to save the child
“Two people in the building knew how to work the pump, and they were on the top floor, so it went unused. This is pretty typical; the families in the neighbourhood should take this as a lesson and familiarise themselves with their firefighting systems.”
indianexpress.com
“I tried to protect him as smoke began filling the room. I carried him into the bathroom hoping it would offer protection from the flames and smoke.”
indianexpress.com
Relative of Abir Batavia
Relative of the deceased child
“He was the youngest child of his parents. His father and mother are not in a condition to talk. They are at home, unconscious and in shock, so we have come to take care of the postmortem formalities.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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