Hyderabad, Jan.25 (RAHNUMA): Five persons, including two children and an elderly woman, tragically lost their lives following a fire that erupted in a four-story furniture shop in Nampally, Hyderabad.
The bodies, recovered on Sunday morning, were identified as Akhil (7), Pranith (11), Syed Habib (30), Mohammed Imtiaz (31), and BB Amma (60). Subsequently, the remains were shifted to Osmania General Hospital.
A major fire started on Saturday within the premises, prompting the initiation of rescue operations aimed at saving five individuals who were trapped in the basement.
As of now, about 90 percent of the rescue efforts in response to the fire incident have been completed, involving over 200 personnel who worked diligently for more than 22 hours. Firefighters undertook considerable challenges to reach those ensnared in the fire, entering the basement equipped with oxygen cylinders, accompanied by medical teams.
Telangana’s Director General of the Fire, Disaster Response, Emergency, and Civil Defence Department, Vikram Singh Mann, informed the media that the building’s two basements contained furniture, raw materials, chemicals, plastics, mattresses, and foam.
He confirmed the fatalities of the five individuals caught in the unfortunate incident.
“The basement housed furniture and chemicals, and the victims attempted to ascend the staircase; however, their escape was thwarted by a locked iron shutter. This unfortunate event stemmed from a disregard for fire safety regulations,” he stated.
The Director General emphasised that basements should solely be utilised for parking purposes and cautioned against their use as storage spaces or for any alternative activities. Vikram Singh warned that stringent actions would be enforced against property and business owners who contravene these safety guidelines.
Expressing profound sorrow over the tragedy, Transport and Hyderabad district in-charge Minister Ponnam Prabhakar remarked that the government would extend support to the families of the deceased. He instructed law enforcement officials to pursue criminal charges against the shop owner for failing to adhere to fire safety standards.
