Deadly Lucknow Blaze
Fifteen Die in Lucknow Commercial Building Blaze; Officials Suspended Amid Investigation
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A fire tore through a three-storey coaching centre in Lucknow's Aliganj neighbourhood on June 22, 2026, killing 15 people — most of them students aged 20 to 24. The last words of one victim, 23-year-old Sukhmani Singh, were a desperate phone call to his father: "Papa, there's a fire, please save me," his father Prabhjot Singh told NDTV. Help arrived too late.
Four government officials have been suspended and four building owners arrested in the aftermath, according to Deccan Herald. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced compensation from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund — ₹2 lakh for each victim's family and ₹50,000 for the injured. The Uttar Pradesh government added ₹5 lakh and ₹50,000 respectively, Asia News Network reported.
Students Jumped from Windows as Smoke Blocked the Only Exit
The fire started at around 2:30 p.m., likely from a short circuit in an air conditioning unit in the basement, according to India Today. Thick, toxic smoke quickly filled the building's single staircase. That staircase was the only way out. Students on the second and third floors — trapped in an animation coaching centre and a gaming zone — had no other escape route.
Desperate students jumped from second-floor windows and climbed down electrical cables, The Independent reported. Fourteen fire tenders responded. Firefighters had to drill through a rear wall to get inside because the main entrance was sealed with an electronic thumbprint lock that failed when the power cut out. Rescue operations lasted over two hours. By 6 p.m., 14 bodies had been recovered. A 15th victim died in hospital later that night.
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