All nine persons who trapped in a massive fire at an underground hydroelectric power station in Telangana were killed, officials said on Friday.

Initially, bodies of 5 men out of 9, who were trapped in fire mishap in a hydroelectric plant in Telangana, found.

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The rescue workers recovered the bodies of five victims. They were identified as Assistant Engineers Mohan Kumar, Uzma Fatima, and Sunder, Divisional Engineer Srinivas Goud and Mahesh, an employee of a battery company.

Efforts were on to trace the bodies of the remaining persons.

“Two of the bodies are of Assistant Engineers,” Nagarkurnool Collector L Sharma was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

Thick smoke is still coming out of the tunnel where the hydel project is located and efforts are on to lessen its intensity, he said.

The accident happened at the TS Genco’s hydel power station at Srisailam left bank canal in Nagarkurnool district of Telangana.

The incident is reported to have taken place late on Thursday. Initial reports indicate that a short circuit led to the fire and thick smoke engulfing the spot.

As per the reports, of the 17 persons present at the spot, 8 persons escaped to safety through a tunnel. Those who were trapped include six TS Genco employees and three private company employees.

The rescue operation is being led by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) which is joined by the CISF personnel.

According to the reports, teams from Singareni with experience in handling underground units are also present at the accident site.

Chief Minister of Telangana K Chandrasekhar Rao has ordered a CID probe into the accident. Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh YS Jagan Mohan Reddy also ordered the officials to extend possible help.

Telangana minister Jagadish Reddy and TS Genco CMD Prabhakar Rao had reached the spot last night itself to oversee the rescue efforts.

As per the reports, a short circuit at the underground hydroelectric power station situated at Srisailam dam’s left bank is suspected to have led to the fire.

Vice President of India paid tributes to those who lost their lives in the fatal accident:

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot also paid tribute: