Six women die in fire at department store in northwestern Mexico

[News_Editor]

Six women die in fire at department store in northwestern Mexico

2010-11-11 02:04:17 GMT+7 (ICT)

CULIACAN, MEXICO (BNO NEWS) -- The bodies of six women on Wednesday were recovered after they died in a fire at a department store in northwestern Mexico that began on Tuesday night, local media reported.

The fire began at about 9:00 p.m. local time in downtown Culiacan, the capital of Sinaloa state. The department store Coppel was caught on fire due to a electrical explosion and firefighters worked tirelessly for six hours before being able to control the fire.

The six women were working at the moment of the incident. They were cashiers at the department store and were caught by surprise by the fire and were unable to evacuate the building. The victims were trapped in the second floor of the store.

Over 80 members of the Red Cross, fire department and law enforcement forces were involved in the efforts to control the fire. The rescue teams also tried to break in the store to rescue the cashiers but failed.

Fifteen firefighters and one police officer were injured.

On Wednesday morning, rescue crews were finally able to enter the building and recovered the bodies of Carmen Selene Moreno, 36, Mariana López Soto, 24, Veronica Picos Bastida, 22, Claudia Janet Bernal, 25, Perla Zapata, 25, and Rosa Imelda Felix, 26.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2010-11-11