Hyderabad, May 18 -- The death toll in the massive fire that broke out at Gulzar House near Charminar in the early hours of Sunday has tragically risen to 17.

According to the Telangana State Disaster Response and Fire Services Department, the fire was reported at 6:16 AM at a G+2 building located at Gulzar House Chowrasta, Charminar. A water tender and crew from the Moghalpura fire station were the first to respond. The fire originated on the ground floor and quickly spread to the upper floors.

Simultaneous firefighting, search, and rescue operations were launched. Seventeen individuals who were trapped on the first floor were rescued by fire department personnel and shifted to hospitals for treatment. To overcome access limitations an...