6 bodies recovered from Indian power plant after fire

Rescuers on Friday recovered bodies of six people who were trapped inside a hydroelectric power plant that caught fire in India's southern state of Telangana.

The fire broke out Thursday night in its under-tunnel powerhouse of the Srisailam hydroelectric power plant, which is near Telangana's border with Andhra Pradesh. Following the fire, nine people were trapped inside the power plant.

"Six bodies have been recovered by the rescue teams," an official said. "The three bodies have been identified to be of assistant engineers Sundar Naik, Mohan Kumar and Fathima."

Meanwhile, Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has expressed grief over the deaths and sympathy with the bereaved families.

Rao also ordered a comprehensive enquiry by Crime Investigation Department (CID) into the cause of fire inside the power plant.

Reports said there were 30 employees of Telangana State Power Generation Corporation (TSGenco) inside the powerhouse at the time of the fire. Of them, six people were rescued and brought out of the tunnel, while as 15 others managed to come out through an emergency exit route.

Officials said thick smoke engulfed the tunnel, making it difficult for the rescuers to reach the trapped ones.

Authorities have sent a team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) who were trying to evacuate the trapped.

An official said the damage to the power plant would be assessed only after the fire was doused and smoke subsided.