Six persons, including four women, were killed in a massive fire that broke out at a shopping complex in Secunderabad, Telangana. The fire broke out at Swapnalok Complex around 8 pm on Thursday, 16 March.
The deceased persons were identified as Shiva, Prashant, Pramila, Shravani, Vennela, and Triveni. Their last names were not identified till the wee hours of 17 March. Four of the deceased were 22 years of age.
"While there were burn injuries on the deceased, all seem to have died of inhalation injuries or burns. That is, they seem to have inhaled Carbon Monoxide and other poisonous gases which emanated from the fire," Raja Rao, superintendent of Gandhi Hospital told The Quint. While five victims were brought dead to Gandhi Hospital, the sixth victim was first taken to a private hospital and later transferred to Gandhi Hospital when he was declared dead.
Thirteen Fire Tending Vehicles Fought Flames for Four Hours
Around 13 people were trapped inside the burning building despite fire tenders reaching the spot within minutes of the first call made at 8.05 pm, a fire service officer told The Quint. A total of 13 fire tending vehicles, including snorkels, were put to use to control the flames.
The complex, which is now gutted, houses over 200 shops and commercial workplaces. The stability of the building is also being ascertained by the fire department and Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) authorities. When this report was filed, fire department authorities had not clarified whether the building had complied by the fire safety norms.
Telangana government authorities, including Hyderabad Mayor Gadwal Vijayalakshmi and Animal Husbandry Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav had reached the accident spot to oversee rescue operations.
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