Lucknow, June 19: Five people were charred to death after a major fire broke out at a hotel in Lucknow on Tuesday. The fire that started from SSJ International Hotel near Charbagh Railway station later spread to the adjoining Viraat International Hotel, leaving both hotels charred. The fire started at around 6 am this morning from the basement of the SSJ International Hotel.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has announced Rs 2 lakh ex-gratia for families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to grievously injured in the fire.

According to reports, the victims include a woman and a child. Reports say that it took more than two hours for the firefighters to douse the fire.

Nearly 50 guests were reportedly staying in the two hotels. The cause of the fire is believed to have been a short circuit. Reports say that the basement of the hotel was having a bar and, therefore, the fire spread to other floors faster.

Uttar PradeshTourism Minister Rita Bahuguna Joshi rushed to the spot to monitor the rescue operation. “A probe has been ordered to look into if the both the hotels had complied with the fire safety norms,” she said.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 19, 2018 12:23 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).