According to the police, electrical and plastic cables caught fire in the godown due to which the fire spread very quickly. All the people were trapped on the first floor with no escape.
Secunderabad: At least 11 people were burnt alive while one injured critically when fire broke out in a timber godown in Bhoiguda in Secunderabad in the early hours of Wednesday. According to the reports, the fire was caused due short circuit at around 4 am and within a short span fire reached in every corner of the godown.
Since sawdust was there at the godown, the sleeping workers trapped inside. While 4-5 workers reportedly managed to escape, the rest were brunt alive. One rescued person is in critical condition at a hospital. Fire officials from at least eight rescue teams battled the blaze for about an hour to bring it under control. The fire also engulfed an adjoining scrap godown.
As per the report, the deceased are migrant workers from Chapra district in Bihar. They were identified as Bittu, Sikander, Dipak, Pankaj, Rajesh, Raju, Chintu, Dinesh, Satyander and Damodar. They were working at the godown for the last three years, and were receiving Rs 12,000 as salary per month.
According to the police, electrical and plastic cables caught fire in the godown due to which the fire spread very quickly. All the people were trapped on the first floor with no escape. One youth named Prem managed to jump and was injured. He is recovering at Gandhi Hospital.
“As they were unable to get rooms for rent nearby, they were staying in a room on the first floor of the godown. Some of the deceased died in their sleep after inhaling the smoke,” police said.
Telangana CM K Chandrasekhara Rao, expressing shock over the incident, announced compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the family of each deceased. He also asked agencies to make arrangements for the repatriation of their bodies to their native places.
