LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak struggled to hold back tears while describing the aftermath of the devastating fire at an animation centre in Lucknow’s Aliganj area, where several students lost their lives.Pathak, who reached the spot while rescue operations were underway, said the children had come to the centre during their summer holidays to learn animation.“The fire broke out suddenly. It was an animation centre. While there is no immediate clarity about the sequence of events, it seems that the children ran towards the back side when the fire broke out… but they couldn’t survive. While there is no clarity about the exact figure, but I saw 11-12 bodies with my own eyes,” Pathak told reporters earlier.Later, with tears welling in his eyes, the deputy chief minister said he had seen 14 bodies at the site.“They were our children. It is a very tragic incident,” he said.Visuals from the scene showed firefighting teams wearing safety gear climbing the building using ladders from outside as rescue operations continued.Another team attempted to enter the building from an adjoining structure of similar height by creating an access point from the upper side, while other teams continued efforts to control the flames.The incident triggered panic in the area as rescue teams worked to evacuate people trapped inside the building.Leaders across party lines expressed grief over the Lucknow fire tragedy.Defence minister and Lucknow MP Rajnath Singh termed the incident “deeply distressing”.In a post on X in Hindi, Singh said, “The incident involving a fire at a coaching centre in the Aliganj area of Lucknow is deeply distressing. My condolences to all the families who have lost their loved ones in this tragedy. I also wish for the speedy recovery of all those injured.”deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said the loss of lives in the fire was “deeply heart-wrenching”.“My deepest condolences are with the bereaved families. I pray to the Almighty to grant the departed souls a place at his holy feet, give the grieving families the strength to bear this sorrow, and grant a speedy recovery to the injured. Om Shanti!” Maurya said in a post on X in Hindi.Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav also expressed grief and condolences over the deaths of students in the Aliganj fire.BSP chief Mayawati, in a post on X, described the incident as “deeply tragic”.“Such fatal incidents are heart-wrenching and shatter the hopes of so many families. There is a need for everyone to work together effectively to prevent such tragic events. Mere blame games will not suffice,” she said.Congress alleges negligence, demands probeUttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai, in a post on X, said, “The news of the tragic deaths of dozens of students in a massive fire at a coaching centre in Aliganj, Lucknow, is deeply saddening and heart-wrenching. May Baba Vishwanath grant peace to the departed souls. This is a glaring example of gross negligence.”He alleged that such a major incident in the state capital reflected the failure of the BJP government and demanded a high-level inquiry into the tragedy.(With agency inputs)
