11 workers from Bihar die in godown fire in Hyderabad

Eleven migrant workers were charred to death in a major fire accident at a scrap godown in Hyderabad in the early hours of Wednesday (March 23).

The 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 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, he said.

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 an incident.

(With inputs from agencies)