Fire breaks out in Mumbai building, one dead

A fire broke out in a 61-story luxury apartment building in Mumbai in western india on Friday, a fire official said.

The New Delhi Television channel reported one death, but there was no immediate confirmation by the fire authorities.

Television images showed heavy black smoke billowing into the sky from the 19th floor apartment on Curry Road in south Mumbai, india’s financial and entertainment capital.

The official said 16 fire engines were trying to extinguish the blaze. The official in Mumbai’s central fire control room declined to give his name because he wasn't authorized to speak to the media.

Fires are common in india, where building laws and safety norms are often flouted by builders and residents.

In August, a fire killed eight coronavirus patients at a hospital in Ahmedabad, a key city in Gujarat state. In December 2018, a late-night fire in a Mumbai restaurant killed 15 people.