Hyderabad Fire Tragedy: Families Keep Vigil as Children, Workers Remain Trapped
HYDERABAD: Grief hung heavy outside Batcha’s Furniture Castle on Nampally Station Road as families of five people feared trapped in a devastating fire waited through the night while rescue operations continued.
Among them was Lakshmi, a domestic worker and mother of Praneeth (11) and Akhil (7), who lived with their family in the cellar of the building. Sitting on the pavement, she said she wished she had never gone to work that day. Her husband, T Yadaiah, works as a salesman.
“Around 12 pm, I came home and found my elder son Praneeth flying a kite on the terrace and my younger son Akhil having lunch. I asked the younger one to stay inside and watch TV and then left for work. I don’t know how both of them got trapped,” Lakshmi said, breaking down.
She said the family managed to contact the children by phone after the fire broke out. “They told us they were coming out, but they didn’t. After that, the phone switched off.” Praneeth was a Class VI student and Akhil studied in Class II at a private school.
A few metres away, relatives of Mohammed Imtiaz (26) and Mohammed Habeeb (40)—both employees of the showroom—sat stunned, their eyes fixed on the smoke-blackened building. Imtiaz is survived by two sons, including a newborn.
“He just became a father again, and his wife is still admitted to hospital,” said Mohammed Anwar, Habeeb’s younger brother.
Family members said both men rushed into the building to rescue trapped children but were overcome by fire and smoke. “Habeeb was loading a vehicle with goods when he heard cries for help and rushed inside. I thought he would return soon, but it has been over five hours now,” said his cousin, Mohammed Arif.
Nearby, the sons of Bebi (43), the showroom’s watchwoman, stood anxiously waiting for information from authorities. A native of Karnataka, Bebi lived in the cellar with her two sons along with Lakshmi’s family.
“My mother worked here for five years. At the time of the incident, she was cooking inside. I called her and asked her to come out immediately. She said she was coming, but after some time her phone also switched off,” said Sameer Khan, her elder son and a security guard in the neighbourhood.
