TV9 - Mumbai Mantralaya fire: 5 dead; CM convenes meet....!

The death toll in the major fire that swept the Maharashtra Mantralaya rose to five after three more bodies were recovered on Friday.

Although the fire was doused today morning, fire officers said the cooling operation will continue for next two days.

Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan is currently chairing a cabinet meet over the incident.

Chavan has ordered an inquiry by the Crime Branch to ascertain whether it was an accident, negligence or sabotage.

Besides the CM, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Home Minister RR Patil, other members of the cabinet are present at the meeting. Mumbai fire chief and the dean of JJ Hospital are present at the closed door meeting.

The cabinet is expected to look into all aspects of the accident and issue directions for further action.

A major fire broke out Thursday afternoon in room 411 on the fourth floor and quickly spread, engulfing the three top floors of the six storied iconic Mantralaya building in the heart of South Mumbai.

Unconfirmed reports claimed that thousands of vital documents pertaining to land records are among the files that were destroyed in the inferno.