Fire destroys natural history museum in Indian capitalApril 26, 2016 - 13:02 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - A fire has damaged a museum in the Indian capital, Delhi, destroying rare specimens of flora and fauna, India's environment minister has said, according to BBC News. The blaze started on sixth floor of the National Museum of Natural History early on Tuesday, April 26 and rapidly spread to all seven floors, reports said. More than 30 fire engines tackled the blaze. Six firemen were injured. It is not yet clear what caused the fire at the 38-year-old museum in the heart of the city. Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said officials had yet to determine the full extent of the damage but old collections had been destroyed. "This is a real loss. This loss cannot be counted in rupees. Some very old species of flora and fauna were there," Mr Javadekar was quoted by the AFP news agency as saying. A fire officer told the NDTV news channel that the building's "fire safety mechanisms were not working". "That is why it took us so long to douse the fire. The cooling off process is still on," he said. The museum housed galleries with "herpetological specimens, preserved butterflies, and mounted specimens" of animals, according to its website. The museum contained preserved specimens of butterflies, frogs, snakes, lizards as well as mounted specimens of tigers and leopards. It was also popular with school children and screened films on wildlife and ecology. The museum had been criticised for "being badly designed and poorly maintained", and there were plans to move it to a new building at another location. Photo: EPA Related links: Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Russia provides info about arrested Armenian ex-MP Russian law enforcement agencies have provided information about the arrest of Tigran Urikhanyan. Lemkin Institue slams Pashinyan's “cryptic engagement with Genocide denial” The Lemkin Institute is alarmed over Pashinyan’s statements “questioning Armenia's legal basis to pursue justice against Turkey”. 41 detained as antigovernment protests continue in Yerevan 41 people were detained in Yerevan as people demanding Pashinian’s resignation stage campaigns of civil disobedience. Armenia votes for UN resolution granting Palestine new rights The U.N. General Assembly voted by a wide margin on May 10 to grant new “rights and privileges” to Palestine. |