11 dead in India godown fire
International Desk
At least 11 people were charred to death in a major fire that broke out at a scrap godown in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad in the early hours of Wednesday, officials said.
The blaze began on the ground floor of the two-storey godown owned by Shawdan Traders in the Bhoiguda area of the city around 2.45am and soon engulfed the entire building.
Within minutes, as many as nine fire tenders were pressed into service but it took them nearly three hours to douse the flames, according to officials.
"Some 12 workers were fast asleep on the first floor of the godown when the blaze began and by the time the fire was doused, 11 of them were burnt alive," senior fire officer V Papiah told the local media.
Police said the victims were all migrant workers from the eastern state of Bihar. "One of them escaped with minor injuries, and he's being treated at a local hospital," Hyderabad Police chief CV Anand said.
Some of the bodies were charred beyond recognition, Anand said.
An electrical short-circuit seemed to have triggered the fire that was prolonged by fibre cables stored in the godown, the fire officer said. "Anyway, a probe has been ordered to ascertain the exact cause."
Fires in small factories and godowns are common in India because of lax enforcement of inferno safety regulations.
