Nine killed in Mumbai medical store blaze; fire contained

The cause of the fire was not immediately known.

Mumbai: At least nine people were killed on Thursday in a massive fire at a medical store in Mumbai's Andheri West, media reports said.

The fire was so intense that it resulted in the deaths in a matter of barely an hour, an official said.

The ANI news agency has updated the toll to nine after it initially reported as seven deaths.

The fire is suspected to have broken out due to a short-circuit. 

While five of the victims died due to suffocation by the emanating toxic fumes, two sustained severe burns, said the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Disaster control, IANS reported.

The pharmacy is situated in a chawl on the Juhu gully in Andheri west and went up in flames around 6.15 a.m.

Several fire tenders had rushed to the spot to douse the inferno. The fire was contained within an hour, the official added.