PM Modi announces ₹2 lakh ex-gratia for kin of deceased

Prime minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday offered condolences and compensation to the families of eight people killed in Secunderabad late Monday night after a fire in an e-bike showroom spread to a hotel located above. Thirteen others were severely injured.

“Saddened by the loss of lives due to a fire in Secunderabad, Telangana. Condolences to the bereaved families. May the injured recover soon,” the prime minister tweeted. ₹2 lakh from the PMNRF (Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund) will be paid to the families of those who died and ₹50,000 each to the injured, he said. Several fire tenders were rushed to the spot late last night to battle the blaze.

Police also reached the spot and evacuated people. “The fire broke out in the electric scooter charging unit on the ground floor. Smoke overpowered the people staying on the first and second floors. The remaining people jumped from the building and were rescued by locals. They were rushed to the hospital. Fire tenders on the spot,” Hyderabad Police Commissioner CV Anand said.

Telangana Home Minister Mohd Mahmood Ali said inquiries into the fire had begun. “Fire brigade teams tried their best to rescue people from the lodge but due to heavy smoke, some people died. Some people were rescued from the lodge. We are probing how the incident happened,” the minister said.