At least 17 from a single family killed in massive fire in southern India

At least 17 people, including eight children, died after a massive fire broke out in a residential building near the historic Charminar monument in Hyderabad city of southern Telangana state of India.

The victims were all members of an extended family who had gathered at the residence in Gulzar Houz, located just two kilometres from the iconic monument, for a summer vacation.

A total of 21 people were in the building when the fire broke out and only four survived as they were on the upper floors of the building, Nagi Reddy of the Telangana fire, disaster response, emergency and civil defence department said.

The fire broke out on the ground floor at 6.16am and spread rapidly to the upper floors of the building, Mr Reddy said.

The cause of the fire is believed to be a short circuit in the shopping area, according to Mr Reddy, who said several people were trapped in a narrow staircase of the house.

“A total of 21 people were in the building during the incident. Four of them survived because they were on the upper floors. The remaining 17 people, who were shifted to the hospital in an unconscious state, could not survive. The staircase was very narrow, which made escape difficult. There was only one exit, and the fire had blocked it,” he said.

The massive blaze was contained after a two-hour-long firefighting operation, involving seven tankers and more than 70 personnel.

Those killed include the eldest family member, a 70-year-old, and the youngest, a one-and-a-half-year-old boy.

“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.

Mr Reddy, who visited the site, told local media that a preliminary inquiry indicated a short circuit may have led to the fire.

"Many people have died in the accident. Some have been injured. I am not blaming anyone, but since Hyderabad is a rapidly developing city, the police, municipal, fire, and electricity departments should be strengthened," he said.

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”.

President Droupadi Murmu said: "The death of several people, including women and children, in a fire accident in Hyderabad is deeply distressing. My thoughts are with those who have lost their loved ones. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured.”

Family members of the deceased blamed the deaths on the delayed arrival of the ambulance and the unavailability of oxygen masks at the critical moment. Videos showed grief-stricken family members expressing anger over the ruling government, saying they felt let down by the government's failure to provide timely medical assistance.

Zahir, one of the residents of the area who only gave his first name, revealed the heartbreaking scenes in the aftermath of the blaze, saying he saw a woman embracing her child in her arms in an attempt to save her as their charred remains were being taken to the hospital.

"We managed to get inside shortly after the fire started. The flames were huge. Inside the room, a woman had hugged children. She was dead," Mr Zahir told NDTV.

"We brought out 13 people. We could not see anything due to the smoke. We pulled down a wall to get inside," he added.

Fires are common in India, where building laws and safety norms are often flouted by builders and residents.