E-Paper
Fire breaks out at manufacturing unit in Hyderabad, 6 workers killed
At least six people were burnt alive when fire broke out in an air-cooler manufacturing unit at Attapur under Rajendranagar police limits in Hyderabad in the early hours of Wednesday.
At least six people were burnt alive when fire broke out in an air-cooler manufacturing unit at Attapur under Rajendranagar police limits in Hyderabad in the early hours of Wednesday.
The incident happened at around 5am when the workers, all belonging to Odisha, were sleeping in the shed of ‘A1 Air-Coolers’, a small scale unit made of iron-sheets.
According to Rajendranagar assistant commissioner of police Gangi Reddy, preliminary investigations revealed that the fire broke out due to short-circuit in the air-cooler.
The fire engulfed the entire area before the workers could have realised. Police suspect the workers had bolted the door from inside, which could have hampered their exit. The neighbours immediately alerted the police who called four fire tenders to bring the fire under control.
The exact number of workers who were inside the unit is not known.
Four of the deceased were identified as Irphan, Saddam, Sharukh and Ayub Khan. The bodies of the others are yet to be identified. The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation authorities are clearing the debris to search for any more bodies under the rubble.
Reddy said owner of the air-cooler manufacturing unit Pramod Kumar was taken into custody and an investigation was on.
