India power plant fire: Nine reported dead in major blaze in Telangana

Nine people have reportedly died after a fire broke out at a hydro-electric power plant in the Indian state of Telangana.

The bodies were found during a search for employees working underground at the Srisailam plant, the state power generation corporation said.

Local media reports said the fire broke out late on Thursday night and burned into Friday, trapping workers.

The reports said the fire had been extinguished.

The Telangana State Power Generation Corporation (TSGenco) said in a statement that there were 17 employees inside the building at the time.

“Eight of them managed to come out of the station with injuries, nine others remained trapped inside as they were trying their best to put out the fire and save the power plant from being burnt completely,” the statement said.

“All of them tried to come out of the escape tunnel, but they did not succeed due to the thick plumes of smoke that engulfed the entire tunnel.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his condolences on Twitter.

“Fire at the Srisailam hydroelectric plant is deeply unfortunate. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. I hope those injured recover at the earliest,” he said.