Hyderbad fire horror as child, 2, among at least 17 dead in blaze near iconic Charminar monument

A horrific fire that broke out in the Indian city of Hyderabad has reportedly left 17 people dead and several injured. The blaze erupted at a building near the historic Charminar monument in southern Hyderabad.

Local media reports ay a number of people were rushed to hospital after being found unconscious. The building housed a jewellery shop and a residential space above it.

"The accident happened due to a short circuit and many people have died,” federal minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader G Kishan Reddy told reporters at the site of the accident. Prime minister Narendra Modi announced financial compensation for the victims’ families and said in a post on X that he was “deeply anguished by the loss of lives.”

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Two children are believed to be among the dead. Some victims are reported to have died at the scene, with others passing away while receiving treatment in hospital.

Fires are common in India, where building laws and safety norms are often flouted by builders and residents. Union Minister G Kishan Reddy said "police, municipality, fire and electricity departments must be made stronger".

He argued in a post on X: "I was told the firefighters today did not have proper equipment initially. We must bring better in the coming days. I will talk to the central government and the Prime Minister and try to get financial help for the families of those who died in this incident."

MP for Rajya Sabha, Mandadi Anil Kumar Yadav, said: "This is a very unfortunate incident. This is a marketplace. I would appreciate the firefighters and other departments and they have tried their best. The fire has been put off."

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