Guest guest Posted April 5, 2005 Report Share Posted April 5, 2005 MONDAY, APRIL 4, 2005 THE TIMES OF INDIA INDIA POWERED BY INDIATIMES SearchThe Times of India Indiatimes Web Indiatimes> The Times of India> India> Article 18 animals die in circus blaze TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ TUESDAY, APRIL 05, 2005 08:49:23 AM ] Sign into earnIndiatimes points MUMBAI: Four sea lions, seven snow dogs and seven cats belonging to a Russian circus were charred to death when a major fire broke out at the Chitrakut grounds in Andheri (west) on Monday. The animals were housed on the sprawling ground after the circus discontinued its shows on March 27. The performances were to resume on April 8. Mysteriously, the circus organisers, an Assam-based event management company called Choice Events, disappeared after the shows were discontinued. " They have been untraceable since then, " said Jasmin Shah, the caretaker appointed by the organisers. The fire, which broke out at 14.45 IST, was brought under control within an hour, but not before the animals had perished in the blaze. Only three of the snow dogs survived the ordeal. The troupe,... ....comprising Russian performers and the animals, was in the city waiting for the shows to resume. Said Almar Rajsur, a Russian artiste and singer, " The animals were an integral part of our troupe. We are incomplete without them. " Standing amidst the charred remains in the animal enclosure, Shah expressed shock and helplessness over the issue. " The circus was running into huge losses and the organisers were heavily in debt, " he said. Shah named Atif Ali and DK Kumar as the organisers who owed Rs 4.5 crore to their debtors. Bhavin Gathani, a member of the Animal Welfare Board of India who arrived at the site, alleged that the fire was engineered by the organisers to get rid of the animals and claim insurance money. But Shah claimed that there was no foul play involved. Agreed Rajvir Dhillon, manager of the Chitrakut ground, " The animals were insured for Rs 75 lakh, but the insurance period expired two days ago, so there is no question of sabotage. " Dhillon said the fire was the result of a short-circuit. ---- ---------- RATE THIS ARTICLE 12345 1=Poor,2=Mediocre,3=Average,4=Good,5=Outstanding COMMENTS ON THIS ARTICLE For reprint rights:Times Syndication Service 2005 Times Internet Limited. All rights reserved. ------- End of forwarded message ------- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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