Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, May 18: At least 17 people including eight children and five women were killed and several others injured in a massive fire that broke out in a building near Hyderabad’s iconic Charminar monument on Sunday morning.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known but short circuit is believed to have caused the tragedy. A fire department official said they received a call around 6.30 am and rushed to the spot. Eleven fire engines fought the blaze and those injured were shifted to hospitals.
The Telangana Fire Disaster Response Emergency and Civil Defence later confirmed that 17 people had been killed in the accident.
The fire broke out on the ground floor and spread to the upper floors, and some people fell unconscious due to thick smoke. A total of 11 vehicles, one firefighting robot, 17 fire officers and 70 personnel were involved in extinguishing the fire and rescuing the trapped persons, according to the state fire disaster department. The pearl trader’s shop, Modi Pearls, was on the ground floor, while his family and the families of some workers lived on the first floor.
Union Minister G Kishan Reddy said the family affected in the fire lived on top of their shop in the Gulzar House area. “I met the family members. Such incidents are very sad. I am not accusing anyone, but police, municipality, fire and electricity departments must be made stronger. I was told the firefighters today did not have proper equipment initially. We must bring better technology in the coming days. I will talk to the central government and the Prime Minister and try to get financial help for the families of those who died in this incident,” he said.
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has expressed shock over the incident and asked officials to step up relief efforts and ensure the best treatment for those injured. The area where the incident occurred has a row of jewellery shops and is very close to the iconic Charminar. Many of these shops in the area are over a century old and are cheek-by-jowl set-ups sharing walls. Telangana Minister Ponnam Prabhakar said the bodies have been recovered and sent to hospitals and that the state government would share full information soon.
President Droupadi Murmu has condoled the loss of lives in the fire accident and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured. “The death of several people, including women and children, in a fire accident in Hyderabad is deeply distressing. My thoughts are with those who have lost their loved ones. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured,” Ms Murmu said in a post on X.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office said he was “deeply anguished” by the loss of lives in the fire. “Deeply anguished by the loss of lives due to a fire tragedy in Hyderabad, Telangana. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon. An ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000,” the PMO said in a post on X.
M Anil Kumar Yadav, Rajya Sabha MP from Congress, said the rescue work was still on. “This is a very unfortunate incident. This is a marketplace. I would appreciate the firefighters and other departments and they have tried their best. The fire has been put off.”
Sneha Mehra, Deputy Commissioner of Police, said there was only one entry point to the building. “Another entry point was created and firefighters entered from there. Most of the people inside were unconscious,” she said. “These are old establishments with some new construction. Only one narrow path leads to the area where the fire happened.”
A firefighter, who became unwell while dousing fire, has been admitted to a hospital, Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka informed the media. A total of 21 people were in the building when the fire erupted, and of them 17 were shifted to hospitals by the fire department in an unconscious state.
Just minutes after offering their morning namaz, Mir Zahed and Mohd Azmath were walking past the building when they heard screams from two women. Smoke was billowing from the upper floors of the house, and panic had gripped the narrow lane.
“We saw two women crying, saying there was a fire and people were stuck inside,” recalled Zahed. Without a moment’s hesitation — and before the first fire tenders had even arrived — the duo barged into the building, determined to help. They recounted how they broke two walls to reach the room where they found women and children trapped due to the fire. What they encountered was gut-wrenching. On the first floor, a woman was found clutching five to seven children in a desperate embrace — all of them lifeless. “It’s something I’ll never forget,” Mr Zahed said.
The mortuary at Osmania General Hospital turned into a scene of grim faces, tears and chaos on Sunday afternoon as the ambulances carrying victims of the Gulzar Houz fire accident arrived around 11:30 a.m. from different hospitals. With them came grieving families, some in shock, others in tears, following the bodies of their loved ones. These were the final two among the 17 deceased brought from various private hospitals across the city.
Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka announced an ex-gratia of ₹5 lakh for each of the deceased. He made the announcement while addressing the media outside Osmania General Hospital. A hospital official confirmed that post-mortem examinations of all 17 deceased individuals have been completed at Osmania General Hospital, and the bodies handed over to their families.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge wrote, “I am deeply saddened by the devastating fire tragedy in the Charminar area of Hyderabad, which has claimed several precious lives. My heartfelt condolences go out to the families of the victims during this difficult time.”
“After speaking with the Chief Minister of Telangana, I am assured that the government is taking all necessary relief measures, including providing speedy and adequate compensation to those affected. I urge Congress workers to rally around the affected families and offer any assistance they can.”
Congress leader and Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi said, “The news of several people dying and many getting injured in the massive fire in Hyderabad, Telangana is extremely sad. I express my deepest condolences to the bereaved families in this difficult time and hope for the speedy recovery of the injured.”
The victims include four senior citizens — Prahlad, Munni, Rajender Modi and Sumitra. The dead children include Hamey (7), Priyansh (4), Iraaj (2), Arushi (3), Rishabh (4), Pratham (1), Anuyan (3) and Iddu (4). The others who died are Abhishek, Sheetal, Varsha, Pankaj and Rajini.
Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi said the affected family has lived in the area for over a century. “I am thankful to those who rushed to help. I spoke to DG, Fire Services. He said most people died due to the smoke. I express my condolences. Based on the fire services report, we have to implement the dos and don’ts during such times. Some people shut their doors.”
“The fire broke out in a pearl shop owned by a family. Their house was on the floor above the shop. The accident happened due to a short circuit. Many people have died in the accident. Some have been injured,” G Kishan Reddy told reporters at the site.
“I am not blaming anyone, but since Hyderabad is a rapidly developing city, the police, municipal, fire, and electricity departments should be strengthened. The fire departments here do not have enough equipment,” he added, calling on the state government to allocate more money to the fire department.
Prabhakar said a majority of the people in the building had died. “The Chief Minister has spoken to the family (who were living in the building that caught fire). The state government will fully support the family. We will conduct a thorough review to ensure fire safety and avoid any such incidents in the future,” he said.
An official release from the Telangana CMO said that directions were issued to immediately shift the injured to hospitals and ensure proper medical treatment.
