Fire breaks out at hotel in Maharashtra's Gondia, seven dead

The blaze was noticed in Hotel Bindal at around 3.30 am when the victims were fast asleep.

Gondia: At least seven persons, including two women, were killed in a fire that broke out in a shop on the premises of a hotel in the eastern Maharashtra town of Gondia early on Wednesday.

The blaze erupted at around 3.30 am at Hotel Bindal, located on the busy Gorelal chowk at a prime location in the city, and soon spread in the building.

Meanwhile, Inspector General of Police, Gadchiroli Range, ST Bodakhe, told PTI that seven people have been killed in the incident.

"Rescue work is underway and the fire brigade team is searching if any person is trapped inside the premises," a fire officer said.

Fire tenders were called from neighbouring Balaghat, Bhandara, Tumsar, Lanji and also from Adani Power Plant in Tirora to battle the flames which were brought under control after nearly seven hours.

There were nearly 15 guests staying in the hotel at the time of the mishap.

One person sustained serious injuries after he jumped from the second floor of the hotel following the fire. He died on way to Nagpur hospital, police said.

Two bodies were charred beyond recognition while four others were found dead in their hotel rooms, they said.

On getting information, District Collector Abhimanyu Kale and Superintendent of Police Dilip Patil Bhujbal rushed to the site and supervised the rescue work.

Police officials had a tough time in controlling the crowd that gathered outside the mishap site after the fire.

The deceased were yet to be identified, police said, adding that two of them had apparently come to attend a marriage function. 

The cause of the fire is being investigated, Gondia police officer Jitendra Borkar said.

A tribal-dominated district, Gondia is around 170 km east of Nagpur and bordering Madhya Pradesh.

(With Agency inputs)