At least 17 people were killed and several were injured in a fire on Sunday that broke out at a building near the historic Charminar monument in the southern city of Hyderabad.
Several people were found unconscious and rushed to various hospitals, according to local media.
Authorities said the fire was now under control.
They said the building housed a jewelry store at ground level and residential space above.
What sparked the fire?
“The accident happened due to a short circuit and many people have died,” federal minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader G Kishan Reddy told reporters at the site of the accident.
The director general of Telangana fire services, Y Nagi Reddy, told reporters that 21 people were in the three-story building when the fire started on the ground floor.
“17 people, who were shifted to the hospital in an unconscious state, could not survive. The staircase was very narrow, which made escape difficult. There was only one exit, and the fire had blocked it,” he said.
Prime Minister announced financial compensation for the victims’ families and said in a post on X that he was “deeply anguished by the loss of lives.”
Fires are common in India, where builders and residents often flout building laws and safety norms.
Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru
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