8 killed after fire breaks out at electric bike showroom in Secunderabad; PM says 'saddened' by loss of lives

New Delhi: At least eight people were killed and seven injured after a fire broke out in an electric bike showroom on the ground floor of a hotel in Secunderabad late on Monday, police said.Police said the smoke emanating from the showroom spread to the first and second floors of Hotel Ruby Pride, choking people to death."The fire broke out last night around 9.30. The fire started in the basement, where a lot of electric bikes were parked. We don't know the origin of the fire as yet. Eight people have died and some are hospitalised," said Chandana Deepti, DCP, North Zone, Hyderabad.Deepti said a case has been registered against the owners of the building and the lodge where the fire broke out."FIR have been registered against the owners of the electric scooter showroom and the manager of the hotel," she added.Hyderabad Commissioner CV Anand said in attempt to save their lives many people jumped from the building and were rescued by locals."They were rushed to a local hospital. The fire tenders reached the spot immediately and started the rescue operation," he said.Reacting to the development, PM Narendra Modi expressed grief at the loss of lives and extended his condolences to the bereaved families."Saddened by the loss of lives due to a fire in Secunderabad, Telangana. Condolences to the bereaved families. May the injured recover soon. Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF would be paid to the next of kin of each deceased. Rs 50,000 would be paid to the injured," said the Prime Minister.According to preliminary investigation, a short circuit is suspected to have caused the fire in the electric bike showroom, resulting in explosion of one vehicle after the other. The hotel staff and guests who noticed the fire and smoke alerted the fire department.Telangana Home Minister Mohd Mahmood Ali said that Fire Brigade teams tried their best to rescue people but due to heavy smoke, some people died."It is a very unfortunate incident. Fire brigade teams tried their best to rescue people from the lodge but due to heavy smoke, some people died. Some people were rescued from the lodge. We are probing how the incident happened," he added.About 25 to 30 people were said to be staying in the hotel at the time of the incident.With inputs from agenciesRead all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.