Charges filed after Indian fire

A boy cremates his mother a day after the fire

Police in the north Indian city of Meerut have filed charges against the organisers of a trade fair after a devastating fire on Monday.

Angry residents have accused them of negligence and are demanding action against local officials for their response to the fire.

At least 50 people died in the blaze which swept through three tents.

There are fears that the toll could rise with at least 80 people taken to hospital, some with serious injuries.

The chief minister of Uttar Pradesh state, Mulayam Singh Yadav, visited the site but was forced to cut short his visit after angry crowds blocked his car and raised slogans against him and the administration.

There were no firefighting systems and fire trucks came an hour after the disaster Laxmikant Vajpayee Meerut legislator In pictures: Indian tent fire

Mr Yadav later announced a judicial inquiry into the incident.

The leader of India's governing Congress party, Sonia Gandhi, also visited the accident site and visited the injured in hospital.

The government has announced a compensation of 200,000 rupees ($4,500) for the relatives of the deceased. The injured will receive between 25,000 ($560) to 50,000 ($1,120).

'Poor response'

Some of the victims who have been identified have been cremated.

Many accused the local administration of reacting slowly

But many anxious relatives who still have not found their loved ones have gathered outside hospitals seeking information.

"We've checked all hospitals and the mortuary," Manu Sharma, who is looking for his friend's wife, told the Reuters news agency.

"We have not found her."

Afzal was also frantically looking for his wife and brother, after the three fled from the burning tent.

"The stall was falling from everywhere. It was sparking. I don't know how I survived and I don't know if my wife and brother are dead or alive," he said.

Many blame the local administration for being slow to react to the fire.

"There was nobody to help us when we were ferrying victims. People did everything on their own," said local resident Puneet Agarwal.

Local legislator Laxmikant Vajpayee alleged the exhibition tents were a fire trap.

"There were no firefighting systems and fire trucks came an hour after the disaster," he is quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.

'Short circuit'

Earlier, Meerut police official RP Singh told the BBC that a police team has been sent to arrest the organisers of the fair.

The fire is believed to have been caused by an electrical short circuit.

More than 2,000 people were said to have been at the consumer electronics fair in Meerut when the fire broke out.

The fair was being held in three long, air-conditioned tents with just one exit each. The tents had plastic roofs supported by iron rods.