Srisailam Plant Fire: 9 Dead in Blaze at Telangana Hydroelectric Power Plant; President Ram Nath Kovind, PM Narendra Modi Express Grief

Hyderabad, August 21: All the nine people trapped inside the Left Bank Power House in Telangana's Srisailam lost their lives on Friday. Bodies of the deceased people have been retrieved. The nine people were missing after the fire broke out at unit one of the powerhouse. The fire erupted at the Srisailam hydroelectric power plant of the state at around 10:30 pm on Thursday.

The rescue operation went on for 15 hours. Nagarkurnool Collector L Sharma told news agency PTI, "Two of the bodies are of Assistant Engineers." According to reports, a thick envelope of smoke engulfed the area. National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) is carrying out an operation to lessen the intensity of the smoke coming out of the tunnel where the hydropower plant is located. Telangana Fire: 9 Feared Trapped After Massive Blaze Breaks Out at Srisailam Power Station, CM K Chandrashekhar Rao Reviews Relief Measures.

President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the loss of nine lives. President Kovind in a tweet said, "Pained by the loss of lives in the tragic fire accident at Srisailam hydroelectric plant in Telangana. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. I wish speedy recovery for the injured." Naidu also expressed condolences to the bereaved families.

Tweet by President Ram Nath Kovind:

PM Modi prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured. In a tweet, he said, "Fire at the Srisailam hydroelectric plant is deeply unfortunate. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. I hope those injured recover at the earliest."

Tweet by PM Modi:

A CBI probe has been ordered by Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao. Twenty people were on shift when the Fire broke out. Meanwhile, 11 people managed to escape, reported NDTV. The blaze reportedly started due to short circuit at the underground hydroelectric power station.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 21, 2020 05:44 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).