Indian Fire 1995

(updated 3rd Sept 2004)

Hundreds die in Indian fire, stampede

December 23, 1995
Web posted at: 8:20 p.m. EST (0120 GMT)

NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- A school prize-giving ceremony in a Northern Indian town turned to tragedy when a fire broke out Saturday, killing nearly 400 people, many of them children and teen-agers, police said. Hundreds more were injured in a stampede that followed as terrified crowds tried to escape the flames through the single, small exit of a huge tent where the annual event was being held. The exact death toll remained uncertain. The Associated Press said at least 365 people had died, including 170 students between the ages of five and 17. AP said police feared at least 415 people had perished in the fire. More than 1,200 students and their parents from the Dayanand Anglo Vedic (DAV) School were reportedly at the celebrations in the town of Dabwali in the state of Haryana, about 150 miles from capital New Delhi. Apparently, the tent caught fire and collapsed on the audience during the school function. The nylon canvas marquee was pitched on the lawns of a community hall generally used for marriages. The Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency quoted police as saying most of the deaths occurred in the stampede that followed the rapidly-spreading fire as panic-stricken people tried to scramble out of the tent. The fire was believed to have been caused by an electrical short circuit. District officials said the fire had been brought under control, and medical teams from across the district had been rushed in to treat the injured, some of whom sustained horrific burns. United News of India (UNI) said senior district officials and their families were among the victims. "Every vehicle, including private and government cars, have been put on rescue work," Rohtas Singh, a watchman at the district administration office in Sirsa, about 40 miles from Dabwali, told Reuters. "The whole of Sirsa has been pressed into this," Singh said. Haryana Chief Minister Bhajan Lal extended his condolences to the bereaved and ordered an immediate inquiry into the tragedy. Three days of m ourning will be observed in the state, he said. According to Reuters, it was the worst disaster in India since nearly 350 people were killed in a train accident in the Northern city of Ferozabad in August.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.