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| India fire destroys natural history museum in Delhi | India fire destroys natural history museum in Delhi |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| A fire has destroyed a museum in the Indian capital, Delhi, ruining rare specimens of flora and fauna, India's environment minister has said. | |
| The blaze started on the sixth floor of the National Museum of Natural History early on Tuesday and rapidly spread to all seven floors, reports said. | |
| More than 30 fire engines tackled the blaze. Six firemen were injured. | 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. | 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. | 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. | "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". | 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. | "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 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. | 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. | 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. | 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. |