Hyderabad, March 17 (IANS) Six people were killed in a huge fire that broke out in a multi-storey building in Secunderabad here on Thursday night, officials said.
The deceased include four women. Seven others were rescued by fire service personnel.
Hyderabad District Collector Amoy Kumar said the victims died of suffocation due to the smoke.
The deceased, all stated to be in their 20s, succumbed at Gandhi Hospital. They hailed from Warangal, Mahabubabad, and Khammam districts and were said to be employees of a company operating out of the building.
After battling for four hours, fire fighting personnel controlled the fire which started from the third floor of Swapnalok Complex and spread to the upper floors of the eight-storey building, which houses offices.
Officials said the rescue work was still on as the smoke has not yet cleared.
Ten fire tenders rushed to the scene and were engaged in the fire-fighting operation.
Huge flames leaping out of the building, causing panic among people in the area. Police vacated residents staying in adjoining buildings.
According to locals, the fire broke out between 7.30 and 8 p.m. The cause of the fire was not known.
State minister T. Srinivas Yadav rushed to the spot and was monitoring rescue and relief work.
This is the second major fire accident in Secunderabad, the twin city of Hyderabad, in less than two months.
Three persons were killed in a huge fire at a multi-storey commercial complex on January 28. The building was completely gutted in the fire and it was later demolished by the authorities as the structure had become weak.
At least 68 people were killed on Sunday when a domestic flight of Yeti Airlines crashed in Pokhara in Nepal, considered to be one of the worst air crashes in three decades in the Himalayan nation. The passengers on board also included five Indians.
The Chief Minister reiterated the commitment of his government to emerge the state as a hub of healthcare across the globe. He said in a major push to the medical education in Punjab, the government has decided to construct 16 new medical colleges in five years that will enhance the total tally of medical colleges in the state to 25.
They were allegedly involved in illegally sending Jagdish Patel, Vaishali Patel and their children Vihangi and Dharmik to the US. They froze while crossing the Canada-US border near Emerson, on the Canadian side.
According to Guvendram, he had gone to the the Pacific Mall, along with his wife, and when they were leaving at 9.30 p.m., two persons on a motorbike snatched his iPhone and fled. However, he managed to note down the vehicle's number and shared it with the police.
The party on Friday announced that it will deliver Rahul Gandhi's letter to each house along with a charge sheet against the Central government from January 26. The letter is signed off as "aapka apna Rahul (your own Rahul)". The letter is written in all regional languages and the exercise is an attempt by the Congress to reap the political benefits from the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
The accused has been identified as Abhinav Prakash, a resident of Dwarka, working as a trainee ticketing agent of British Airways at DLF Qutub Plaza, Gurugram, for the last seven months. He reportedly made the hoax call to delay the departure of his friends' 'girlfriends' who were on board the said flight.
