Death toll in Raigad pharma factory fire rises to 11; short circuit led to blaze: NDRF

The death toll in the devastating fire at a private pharmaceutical company's factory in Raigad district of Maharashtra has gone up to 11 with the recovery of four more bodies on Monday, an NDRF official said.

With this, the bodies of all the 11 persons who were reported missing after the November 3 blaze at the plant of Blue Jet Healthcare Pvt Ltd in the MIDC industrial area in Mahad, around 170km from Mumbai, have been found, said the National Disaster Response Force (NFRF) official.

According to the official, four more bodies were recovered from the factory's premises by search and rescue personnel, taking the toll to 11.

The bodies were burned beyond recognition and in one case just the skeleton was left, he said, adding the search-cum-rescue operation involving fire brigade, local police and NDRF personnel was called off on Monday evening.

Initial investigation suggests an electric short circuit caused the blaze in which seven others were also injured, the official added.