Three people, including an eight-year-old child, died in a major fire that broke out in the Old Bus Stand area of the Arki market in the Solan district, police said on Monday.
The fire, which broke out late Sunday night, destroyed several shops and buildings. A rescue operation is underway to search for six individuals who are feared to be trapped in the debris, officials said.
All three of the dead and the six trapped are Nepalese nationals hailing from Salyan in the Karnali province of Nepal. Among the nine affected, five are minors.
So far, three bodies have been recovered from the site, according to Superintendent of Police Gaurav Singh.
An inquiry has been ordered into the cause of the fire, which ignited around 2.45 am, Deputy Commissioner of Solan, Manmohan Sharma said.
The blaze originated from a wooden building and spread rapidly to adjacent structures, he added.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has expressed sorrow over the incident and has instructed the deputy commissioner to initiate immediate relief and rescue efforts.
Arki MLA Sanjay Awasthi, who was at the spot, said that considerable damage had been caused to 10 to 15 shops and houses. Additionally, he informed that some locals from Nepal are missing and a search is underway to locate them.
Awasthi mentioned that the cause of the fire has not yet been determined yet.
Fire tenders from Arki, Solan, Nalagarh, and Boileauganj in Shimla, as well as support from the Ambuja plant, were deployed to douse the blaze, which was brought under control.
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