A fire broke out at Numaish, an annual exhibition held in Hyderabad on Wednesday. Around 10 fire tenders have been rushed to the spot to douse the flame. Several shops were destroyed as the fire spread quickly. Chaos ensued as customers and shop owners began hastily making their way to the exit of the venue at Exhibition Grounds in Nampally. Thousands were present at the venue when the fire broke out and the incident also caused a massive traffic jam.
Speaking to TNM, Saidabad Inspector Saidi Reddy said, "The fire broke out a little before 9 pm. There are no casualties or injuries reported as of now as everyone noticed the fire and ran out. We will ascertain the damage once the fire is put out."
As of now, officials are yet to determine what started the fire but they suspect that a short circuit could have led to the incident. Home Minister and Deputy Chief Minister Mahmood Ali also reached the spot along with other officials including Hyderabad Mayor Bonthu Rammohan, as authorities managed to control the flame by around 10 pm.
While some reports suggest that close to 200 stalls were destroyed in the fire, others stated that around seven people were admitted to the Osmania Hospital due to respiratory issues after inhaling smoke. A firefighter was also reportedly injured while trying to douse the fire. Two people were taken to the casualty at CARE Hospital in Nampally where doctors examined them.
Hussain, a shopkeeper from Kashmir told TNM, "I have lost most of my goods. I had goods worth Rs 15 lakh and I'm left with material worth less than a few thousand rupees. All that's left, can be loaded into a small auto. There were around 300 stalls from Kashmir that had set up shop here." People throng to the exhibition for its famed Kashmiri Pashmina shawls every year.
The All India Industrial Exhibition, known more commonly as Numaish is an annual event that has been held in Hyderabad for the last 80 years, pulling large crowds each year. Numaish began in 1938, during the era of the last Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan, as an attempt to promote locally made goods. Initially called ‘Numaish Masnuaat-e-Mulki', the event, which went on for 10 days, was inaugurated at Public Gardens in the city. The following year, the fair was organised for 15 days with a little over 50 stalls. This year, more than 2,000 stalls were set up.
This is a developing story.