At least 17 people have died in a fire in southern India.

At least 17 people, including women and children, have died in a fire in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad. This was reported by the ANI news agency on Sunday, May 18.

"The fire broke out early in the morning, the Telangana Government Fire Department arrived at the scene. They were trying to save everyone. But the fire spread very widely. Most of the people inside the building died," the newspaper quoted Telangana Minister Ponnam Prabhakar as saying.

According to preliminary data, the fire occurred due to a short circuit in a pearl store located on the ground floor of a residential building. The store belonged to one family, whose apartment was located on the floor above. Firefighters arrived at the scene, but were unable to quickly control the fire.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences to the families of the victims. The authorities decided to pay compensation: the relatives of the victims will receive $2.3 thousand each, and the victims will be paid $580 each.

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