Narrow lanes, single entry impede rescue

OF THE 17 DECEASED, NINE DIED OF BURN INJURIES WHILE THE REST DIED OF ASPHYXIATION

- Srinivasa Rao Apparasu

HYDERABAD: A woman embracing her children in the midst of a blaze was the sight that Sabir caught when he rushed into a building that caught fire in Hyderabad on Sunday morning.

Sabir, who runs a bangle business and lived in the Gulzar House area, was one of the first to respond to the fire that broke out in the building near Charminar around 6am. "I managed to get inside shortly after the fire started. There was a huge blast and the fire spread quickly to the upper floors," he told reporters.

Upon entering the building, Sabir saw a woman trying to shield her two children from the blaze. "As flames entered the room, I could see a woman hugging her children. She and her children died," he said.