Eleven migrant workers were killed in a fire accident that took place in a scrap godown in Bhoiguda, Secunderabad. The victims, all natives of Bihar, were charred to death as they were sleeping inside the building, which did not have a fire exit. The fire broke out reportedly at 3 am. The fire officials said they were not informed about workers trapped inside the building and this is one reason why none of them could be rescued.
Officials suspect that the victims who were sleeping on the first floor died even before they arrived at the spot. The dead bodies have been shifted to Gandhi Hospital.
The godown had stocked combustible materials like wire cables and the fire could be brought under control only at around 7.30 am. District Fire Officer (DFO), Hyderabad, M Srinivas Reddy told the media that they received the information about the fire accident at around 3.55 am and immediately two fire engines were deployed. They found the charred bodies of workers only after they gained entry to the godown after bringing the fire under control. “Nobody told us that there were people inside the building. We could learn about it only an hour later. There was no way to rescue them. The victims could not come out because the building had spiral stairs which made it impossible for them to escape,” the DFO said.
The fire officials have handed over the bodies to the police. The godown belonged to one Sudhakar Reddy. Loading, unloading and segregation work was carried out in the godown, police said. Authorities suspect that short-circuit could have caused the fire.
Expressing shock over the incident, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao announced Rs 5 lakh ex-gratia to the kin of victims. He also directed Chief Secretary K Somesh Kumar to make arrangements to send the bodies to their native places.
The BJP has demanded a high-level inquiry into the incident. The party also asked the government to give Rs 50 lakh as compensation. BJP spokesperson Krishna Saagar Rao alleged that corruption in the fire department was the reason behind the tragedy.
This is a developing story