Hyderabad: The number of deaths in the Hussain Sagar fire accident increased to two after the body of S Ajay, 21, who has been missing since Sunday night, was recovered by the rescue team after a 45-hour search operation on Tuesday evening, January 28.
Ajay, a resident of Kushaiguda, has been pursuing a Bachelor of Engineering program.
Ganapathi, an expert in fireworks died on Tuesday morning after sustaining critical injuries during the event that was celebrated on the occasion of 76th Republic Day celebrations on Sunday, January 26. He was on ventilator support at the Yashoda Hospitals in Secunderabad with critical injuries after the accident.
Ajay was believed to have jumped into the Hussain Sagar lake after the boat he was sailing in, caught fire due to the bursting of fireworks from two boats.
Fire at Hussain Sagar during 76th Republic Day celebrations in Hyderabad
The Bharata Matha Maha Harathi, hosted by the Bharath Matha Foundation was conducted at the People’s Plaza located on Necklace Road. Bharatiya Janata Party state president G Kishan Reddy and Telangana Governor Jishnu Dev Varma attended the event. After the Arathi concluded, Kishan Reddy reportedly gave a green signal for the fireworks program.
Siasat.com spoke to the Secretariat station house officer (SHO) who said that a preliminary investigation suggested the fireworks were conducted from a distance. “It seems the crackers hit the boats and resulted in the accident,” the SHO had said.
When asked if permission was sought for the fireworks, the SHO said that such events require the nod from senior police officials. He also said that permission would have been given by the state tourism department. He however refused to divulge further details. A senior police official however stated that the department was not aware of any such permission.
Apart from Ganapathy, three others were also injured with minor injuries in the Hussain Sagar fire accident and were discharged the same day.
