Fire at garment factory kills 7 in India

A fire gutted a garment factory in eastern India on Monday, killing seven workers, officials said.

The fire happened in a sari embroidery factory in Howrah, a suburb of Calcutta, the capital of West Bengal state when sparks from electrical wires ignited a can of diesel fuel lying in the factory, Gopal Bhattacharjee, the director of the state fire department, said.

The fire which broke out very early Monday has been brought under control, Bhattacharjee said, adding that a detailed investigation is under way, the AP reports.

None of the bodies have been identified so far, he added.

It is not uncommon for workers in India to sleep inside factories or for factories to employ round-the-clock shift workers. Safety precautions are often ignored in a bid to keep costs low.