Kashmir: 2 from Delhi killed as 50 sheds gutted in Srinagar

Chief minister Omar Abdullah has announced an ex-gratia relief of ₹2 lakh each for the next of kin of the deceased, directing the authorities to provide all necessary assistance to the affected families

Two people, including a teenager from Delhi, lost their lives after a fire engulfed a cluster of at least 50 temporary shelters of scrap dealers on the outskirts of Srinagar on Tuesday night. Superintendent of police (west) Imtiyaz Ahmad said the bodies of Mohammad Noor Alam (27) and Mohammad Ameen (15), who dealt in the scrap trade, were recovered from the Durbal area of Bemina.

Affected people inspecting the debris of their temporary shelters in Srinagar. (Waseem Andrabi/HT)

Chief minister Omar Abdullah has announced an ex-gratia relief of ₹2 lakh each for the next of kin of the deceased. He directed the authorities to provide all necessary assistance to the affected families.

Mohammad Rabiul Islam, the father of Ameen, said the deceased was in Srinagar to meet his cousin. “He was to return to Kupwara on Wednesday. I got a call at 2 am that my son had died in the blaze,” he said. A scrap dealer living nearby said everyone managed to get out barring the two who were trapped.

An official at the Bemina police post said the blaze started around 12.30 am. Fire and emergency services officials, along with police and local residents, took nearly five hours to douse the flames. “About 50 shelters have been destroyed. Around 20 shelters were vacant,” he said.

The police said that the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. The postmortem examination and other medico-legal formalities are underway. The police have deputed teams to the spot to prevent people from wandering near the site while also keeping a watch to prevent re-ignition of the fire.