Couple Planning Wedding Die in Freak Work Fire

A young couple was planning the happiest day of their lives. Now, their devastated families are preparing to say goodbye forever.

Engaged couple Anamika Samanta, 27, and Neelesh Kumar, 28, were among 15 people killed when a massive fire ripped through a commercial building in Lucknow, India, on Monday, June 22.

The heartbreaking tragedy came just days after their families met for the first time to bless the couple’s wedding plans.

Samanta and Kumar had been together for about three years after meeting as artists and co-workers at Head Hopper Studios, an animation center housed inside the building. They were preparing to marry in November.

Instead of finalizing wedding details, their loved ones are now making funeral arrangements.

“Anamika Samanta’s parents visited our home and gave their blessings to her wedding with my younger brother, Neelesh Kumar,” Neelesh’s brother, Abhishek Kumar, told The Indian Express. “We were preparing to travel to Kolkata next week to finalize the wedding arrangements.”

He added, “The wedding was planned for November this year.”

The fire broke out inside a three-floor commercial building that reportedly housed a pet shop and the animation center where the couple worked. Photos from the scene showed firefighters battling huge flames and rescue teams searching through the gutted structure.

For the families, the timing made the tragedy almost impossible to comprehend.

Abhishek said the couple’s relationship had recently become known to the family, prompting both sides to finally meet.

“We came to know about their relationship some time ago, and after that our family decided to get in touch with Anamika’s parents,” he said. “We invited them to our home in Lucknow.”

Four members of Anamika’s family, including her parents and brother, traveled from Kolkata for the meeting.

“During that visit, both families agreed to the marriage and the arrangements were virtually finalized,” Abhishek said.

Anamika’s younger brother, Akash Samanta, said the families had never met before that emotional visit.

“My sister had told our parents about Neelesh some time ago,” he told The Indian Express. “I had known about their relationship for around six months. I went to Lucknow with my parents, and we visited Neelesh’s home.”

Just one week later, everything changed.

Abhishek said his family knew a fire had broken out somewhere in the city, but they did not realize Neelesh’s workplace was inside the doomed building until they received a horrifying call from the mortuary Monday evening.

“We knew about the fire, but we did not take it seriously because there was no indication that Neelesh’s workplace was in the same building,” he said.

He said Neelesh’s body was easily identified and believes his brother died from suffocation.

The official cause of the fire has not yet been publicly released. However, the BBC reported that the building allegedly had no emergency exits and that people became trapped after flames spread to the only stairwell.

Witnesses described scenes of panic as people reportedly jumped from windows and climbed down cables in a desperate attempt to escape.

Brajesh Pathak, the deputy chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, said an investigation has been launched.

“An inquiry has been initiated,” he told reporters, according to the BBC. “Authorities have been directed to ensure that such incidents do not happen in the future.”

Police have arrested four people in connection with the deadly fire, according to the BBC. Four public officials have also reportedly been suspended as outrage grows over the disaster.

What was supposed to be the start of a new life for Anamika and Neelesh has now become an unimaginable nightmare for two grieving families.

One week, they were planning a wedding.

The next, they were preparing for funerals.