Hyderabad: 11 migrant workers from Bihar killed in fire at scrap godown; PM, Telangana CM announce ex-gratia

Eleven migrant workers were charred to death in a major fire accident at a scrap godown here in the early hours of Wednesday.The deceased workers, all hailing from Bihar, were sleeping in a room constructed above the godown at Bhoiguda here when the incident happened, fire and police officials said.The fire officials received a call at 3.55 am and eight fire tenders were rushed to the spot. The blaze was extinguished by around 7 am, they said.The workers could not save themselves as there was only one internal spiral staircase, though one person managed to escape after jumping out of the room, they said.Based on preliminary investigation, a fire official said the blaze started from the scrap godown and spread to the room above. The workers appeared to have tried to escape but soon fell unconscious after inhaling the thick smoke.It was a heart-wrenching scene as bodies, charred beyond recognition, were found in a heap as they apparently collapsed upon inhaling the smoke, he said.DNA tests would be conducted to identify the deceased, a police official told PTI. The cause of the fire would be known after investigation, officials said. The bodies were shifted to the nearby state-run Gandhi hospital to conduct a post-mortem and other official procedures.Hyderabad Police Commissioner C V Anand, who inspected the scene, said the deceased was in the age group of 23-35 years.The scrap material comprised old newspapers, used bottles, and others, he said, adding fire safety conditions appear to have been violated at the ill-fated godown.The workers were provided with accommodation in the room constructed above the scrap godown and many residents in the locality were not aware that they lived there, he said.Regretting the loss of life in the tragedy, he said timber depots and others were situated in the area and that there is a need to go into the safety aspect.President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao expressed grief over the incident. The PM and Rao also announced ex-gratia to the victims.Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao expressed grief over the incident and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh to the families of each of the deceased.He asked Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar to make arrangements to send the bodies to their native places in Bihar.Kumar, who visited the spot, said immediate steps would be taken to prevent recurrence of such incidents.The prime minister said that he is pained by the loss of lives due to a tragic fire in Hyderabad and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the next of kin of the deceased.Meanwhile, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expressed grief over the fire accident and announced ex-gratia to the next of the kin of each deceased and said steps were being taken to bring back the mortal remains."It is a tragic incident. I have learned that the government of Telangana has announced a compensation of Rs five lakh to the families of each of the deceased. We will give another Rs two lakh."Our Resident Commissioner in New Delhi has been asked to get in touch with the southern state for bringing back the mortal remains", he added.With inputs from PTIRead all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram