The death toll in the fire mishap at a four-storeyed Secunderabad hotel rose to eight on September 13, with one more injured succumbing to burns in Hospital. The fire started in an electrical vehicle bike showroom and spread upstairs in Secunderabad, under Market Police Station limits, late on Monday night.
Most of the victims, who were on a business trip to the city, according to City police Commissioner C.V. Anand, hail from northern States and their identities are being established.
Mr. Anand said the injured were rushed to Gandhi Hospital and other nearby private hospitals. Most of the victims died of suffocation as thick plumes of smoke caught the guests in Hotel Ruby unawares. Panic-stricken inmates tried to escape but were trapped in the rooms.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended condolences to the bereaved kin while announcing ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh from Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund to the relatives of the deceased, and ₹50,000 to the injured.
It is said that there were 25 guests in the lodge. Some guests broke the glass panes of the windows and jumped down. Many of them were severely injured.
