Hyderabad: Massive fire breaks out in two boats in Hussain Sagar; 4 injured

Hyderabad: Four persons suffered injuries when a massive fire broke out in two tourism department boats in Hussain Sagar on Sunday night.

According to police, the fire started when firecrackers were set off during the "Bharat Mata Maha Aarti" event to mark the 76th Republic Day held at People's Plaza on Necklace Road burst.

Officials said that the incident occurred a short while after Union Minister G Kishan Reddy and Governor Jishnu Dev Varma had left the venue when one of rockets hit the crackers kept in the boat, leading to the fire.

As many as 15 individuals were reportedly onboard the boats when the mishap occurred. Four persons sustained injuries. One among them identified as 22-year-old Ganapathi, who was incharge of the fireworks. He sustained severe burn injuries was admitted to Yasodha Hospital in Secunderabad. Ganapathi hails from East Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh.

Union Minister G Kishan Reddy visited Ganapathi and assured all possible help. The remaining three suffered with minor injuries were identified as Chintala Krishna (47), K Sai Chand (21) and Praneeth and they were admitted to Gandhi Hospital for treatment and discharged later.

The fire spread from one boat to the other, causing significant damage to both. Following the mishap, panic gripped large number of people who were enjoying the Republic Day evening on Necklace Road, NTR Marg and Tank Bund.

The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and fire department workers promptly initiated the rescue operation, and all other passengers were able to escape safely. An investigation into the matter is underway, they said.

The event, organised by the Bharat Mata Foundation on the occasion of Republic Day, was also attended by BJP MPs Konda Vishweshwar Reddy, Eatala Rajendar, M Raghunandan Rao, renowned music director of 'RRR' fame M M Keeravani and others.

FIR filed at Secretariat PS in Hussain Sagar Boat Mishap

After the fire mishap, G Prabhudas, Unit Manager at Lumbini Park filed a complaint at the Secretariat Police Station. In his complaint, Prabhudas said that the incident occurred when fireworks planned as part of the event were accidently ignited by a misdirected cracker. Sparks dropped into a boat filled with firecrackers, igniting a large fire that consumed both the boat and a neighboring dock.

The Bharat Mata Foundation hosted the event, which was attended by Kishan Reddy, who was performing the ceremonial Harati when the incident occurred.

Engineering student goes missing in boat fire accident in Hussain Sagar

A 21-year-old youth and engineering student from Nagaram identified as Ajay reportedly went missing following the fire accident on two boats at Hussain Sagar on Sunday night.

Ajay's family reached Hussain Sagar on Monday morning and alerted authorities that he had gone missing the night before. They requested a search conducted to locate him.

The police responded quickly, dispatching specialist swimmers from the Disaster Response Force. Two rescue teams began the search, and other teams were being rushed in to help.

"I spoke to my son over the phone at around 8:30 pm, Ajay said he was at Tank Bund with friends and will return home after midnight. However, when I called him again at 11 pm his phone was switched off. Around 2 am, one of Ajay’s friends informed the family that he was missing," Ajay's mother said.

Ajay's friends who were with him at the time reported that they fled unharmed. However, the family believes Ajay may have jumped into the lake after a fire broke out on the boats as a result of the explosion of firecrackers.