Three dead as fire in Srinagar's Dal Lake destroys multiple houseboats

livemint.com:

fire that broke out at houseboats in the Dal Lake in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, on Saturday, officials were quoted by PTI as saying. “The charred bodies were recovered in the early hours of Saturday near ghat number nine," they added. The identity of the deceased is yet to be ascertained.

The fire broke out in the tourist hub of the Dal Lake early Saturday. As many as five houseboats an equal number of huts attached to them were gutted. According to official, property worth crores of rupees were destroyed in the fire.

According to an official of the Fire and Emergency Services Department, the fire broke out near Ghat number 9 of Dal Lake at around 5.15 am. Upon receiving a call, fire service officials reached the spot and started a rescue operation. ALSO READ: West Bengal: Fire breaks out in Howrah's warehouse "The situation is under control...There were five houseboats and eight huts...We have rescued tourists also," an official was quoted by ANI as saying.

Some tourists were rescued after a fire broke out at Dal Lake in Jammu and Kashmir's Srinagar District, fire officials said on Saturday. "Some 5-8 houseboats and huts were gutted in the fire. We can't identify the source of this fire, we are identifying it.

We started the rescue operation immediately after receiving the call," Station House Officer Fire Service, Farooq Ahmad told ANI. ALSO READ: Massive fire breaks out at cafe in Bengaluru's Koramangala He further said they also asked for manpower from the district headquarters in Srinagar. The cause of the fire was not immediately known.