Injured youth in Hussain Sagar boat fire succumbs
Hyderabad: A person injured in Sunday night’s fire on a boat and a floating jetty in Hussain Sagar lake succumbed to the burns on Tuesday while a search operation continued for a missing youth.
Ganapati (22), who was admitted to Yashoda Hospitals in a critical condition, succumbed while undergoing treatment.
The youth, hailing from West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh had sustained 100 per cent superficial burns.
Six people were injured when fireworks were set off from a boat and a jetty in the lake as part of ‘Bharat Mata Maha Harati’ programme at People’s Plaza on Necklace Road abutting the lake.
Meanwhile, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and police teams were searching for 21-year-old S. Ajay who is reportedly missing following the fire mishap.
At least 10 rescue teams were searching for the engineering student who was with his friends at the time of the fire.
His friends were rescued immediately after the fire broke out.
The family of Ajay approached the police in the early hours of Monday stating that he was missing.
They demanded that the authorities launch a search operation to trace him. However, the rescue teams could not trace the missing youth on Monday.
Police registered a case and continued investigation into the fire which broke out due to the explosion of firecrackers.
Telangana Governor Jishnu Dev Varma and Union Minister G. Kishan Reddy attended ‘Bharat Mata Maha Harati’ programme.
They had left the venue after the cultural performance by artists and the speeches.
According to fire services department officials, the organisers did not seek permission for the firework display. They said fire safety teams and equipment are kept on standby during such events. However, in this case no such arrangements were made as the organisers had not informed the police or the fire department.
It took a long time for the rescue teams to reach the boat and the jetty.
The Bharat Mata Foundation had organised the programme on the occasion of Republic Day.
The foundation has been organising the programme every year for the last seven years.
Secretariat Police registered a case on a complaint by an official at Lumbini Park.
