Hyderabad: Five people, including a woman, lost their lives after a fire broke out in a four-storey furniture shop building in the Nampally area of Hyderabad, officials said on Sunday.
The fire erupted on Saturday, triggering a large-scale rescue operation to save five people who were trapped in the basement of the building. Despite sustained efforts by rescue teams, all five were found dead.
“Five bodies, including that of a woman, were retrieved from the building on Sunday,” a senior police official told PTI.
Rescue operations began on Saturday afternoon and involved multiple agencies, including the police, fire services, National Disaster Response Force personnel and the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency. Although the blaze was brought under control, dense smoke inside the building severely hampered rescue efforts.
Officials said those trapped were family members of a security guard and other workers employed at the shop. Accommodation had reportedly been arranged for the workers in the basement of the building.
Expressing shock over the incident, Transport and Hyderabad district in-charge minister Ponnam Prabhakar said the state government would extend support to the families of the victims. He also directed police officials to register criminal cases against the shop owner for allegedly failing to comply with fire safety norms.
