A fire in a four-storey furniture shop in Hyderabad’s Nampally on Saturday has led to the death of five people, including a woman and two children, officials said on Sunday.
The state government announced an ex-gratia of ₹5 lakh each to the families of the deceased.
“Five bodies, including that of two boys and an elderly woman were retrieved from the cellar of the building on Sunday," a senior police official said, adding that they are suspected to have died due to asphyxiation. However, the cause of the deaths would be known after post-mortem, she said.
When asked about the cause of the blaze, the official said it was under investigation, but a case was registered against the owner of the shop.
Telangana Fire, Disaster Response, Emergency and Civil Defence Department Director General Vikram Singh Mann told media that furniture, raw material, chemicals, plastics, mattresses, foam were among the materials stored in the two basements of the building.
Multiple agencies, including police, fire, NDRF personnel and Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA), had launched rescue operations after the fire erupted on Saturday afternoon.
Five people, including two children, were earlier said to be trapped in the basement of the building, with efforts underway for over 21 hours to rescue them. Police say those trapped were family members of a watchman and other workers who had been provided accommodation in the basement.
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While the fire was brought under control, thick smoke billowing from the building made the rescue operation difficult.
Expressing shock over the incident, Transport and Hyderabad District in-charge Minister Ponnam Prabhakar on Sunday said the government would support the families of the victims. He also directed the police officials to file criminal cases against the shop owner for "not following" fire safety guidelines.
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