Nine killed in major fire in Telangana's Srisailam hydel power plant

President Ram Nath Kovind said he was pained by the loss of lives in the tragic incident

A major fire in the Srisailam hydroelectric plant located on the Telangana-Andhra Pradesh border left nine people dead, most of them engineers, and three seriously injured, with thick smoke hampering rescue operations for over 12 hours,officials said on Friday. A woman was among the dead.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the incident. President Ram Nath Kovind said he was pained by the loss of lives.

Telangana Energy Minister G Jagadish Reddy said the fire broke out late on Thursday night when 17 people were inside the plant, run by the Telangana State Power Generation Corporation (genco).

Eight of the employees managed to come out, he said.

Thick smoke engulfing the area hampered immediate rescue operations, the minister said. “A total of 17 employees were at the plant at the time of the accident. Eight of them were able to come out. But the remaining nine (seven genco employees, including a woman, and two private firm employees) who were trapped right there were tragically killed. They tried to save the plant till their last breath,” Reddy told reporters at the plant.

All the deceased appeared to have died due to asphyxiation though there were minor burns on their bodies, a senior official of genco told PTI.

The seven deceased belonging to the genco included a deputy engineer and four assistant engineers. Two other victims were employed with a private firm engaged in battery maintenance in the plant.

Reddy said the employees who were trapped inside took videos of the fire through their mobile phones and posted the visuals to explain the situation to authorities outside.

A Fire Department official based on preliminary assessment said the blaze started in the battery area apparently due to “over voltage”, which needs to be established after a thorough investigation.

Three employees who were seriously injured are being treated, according to a press release from the genco.

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao ordered an inquiry by the CID.