Eight people got killed and at least five suffered injuries in a fire that originated from an electric bike showroom in Secunderabad during the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday. Police are probing the cause of the fire.
“The fire and smoke from the showroom engulfed a lodge situated above the showroom killing the victims,” police said. About 30 people were said to be staying in the hotel at the time of the incident.
Firefighters rushed to the spot and rescued seven guests, who were trapped in the multi-storeyed building. The injured were shifted to hospitals. TV visuals suggested that some people tried to jump out of the hotel windows in a bid to escape the fire.
NDTV quoted Chandana Deepti, deputy commissioner, Hyderabad saying, "There were electric scooters parked where the fire started. We don't know if it started because of over-charging and then spread or whether it started elsewhere. That is still being established."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences and announced a solatium of Rs Two lakh for the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured.
(With inputs from PTI)
