Hyderabad (Telangana) [India]: A devastating fire that broke out early Sunday morning at a residential building in Gulzar House, Hyderabad, has claimed the lives of 17 people, including eight children, according to local officials.
Eyewitness Zahid, who was among the first responders, described the desperate efforts by locals to rescue those trapped inside the building.
“We could not enter the building through the main gate as it was engulfed in flames, so we broke the shutter to go inside. Then five to six of us broke through a wall and entered the first floor. But the whole place was completely engulfed in flames. The police and fire tenders did good work and cooperated fully. But we could not save the people because of the massive fire,” Zahid said.
“The fire was mainly located at the back of the house, and there was no back door to get to that… All the deceased were part of the same family… Yes, the fire tenders were a bit late, but the fire was too massive to enter the first floor,” he added.
Preliminary reports by the Telangana Fire Department suggest the fire was caused by a short circuit. The Director General of Telangana Disaster Response and Fire Services, Y Nagi Reddy, confirmed that smoke inhalation was the cause of all 17 deaths and noted that “nobody had burn injuries.”
The victims include eight children under the age of 10. According to a list released by the department, the youngest was Prathan (1.5 years old). Other children included Hamey (7), Priyansh (4), Iraaj (2), Arushi (3), Rishabh (4), Anuyan (3), and Iddu (4).
In response to the tragedy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences, stating he was “deeply anguished” by the incident. The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) announced an ex gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh each to the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund.
Authorities are continuing their investigation into the incident, and further updates are expected.