3 tourists killed as massive fire engulfs houseboats in Srinagar’s Dal Lake
A massive fire broke out in Srinagar’s Dal Lake on Saturday and the bodies of three Bangladeshi tourists were recovered from the houseboats gutted in the blaze, officials told PTI news agency.
According to the police, the deceased tourists were identified as Anindaya Kowshal, Mohammad Moinud and Das Gupta. Their bodies were retrieved from the debris of the gutted houseboats near ghat nine on the lake.
They were staying on the houseboat Safeena which was destroyed in the fire.
As per officials, the bodies of the deceased will be handed over to the family members only after matching their DNA.
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha condoled the deaths of the tourists. “I am deeply pained by the loss of lives due to the unfortunate fire incident at Dal Lake, Srinagar. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. I have directed the District Administration to provide all necessary assistance to the affected persons,” said Sinha.
Police said eight people were rescued through collaborative efforts of the Srinagar Police, State Disaster Response Force, Tourist Police, Fire and Emergency Services, and locals.
An investigation into the incident has been initiated and a report was filed at the RM Bagh police station.
The cause of the fire has not yet been established but preliminary investigations suggested that the fire broke out in one of the houseboats in the early hours of Saturday due to malfunctioning of a heating appliance.
The fire quickly spread and engulfed five boats, said police. Further, seven residential huts and neighbouring houses in the vicinity were also destroyed in the blaze.
According to PTI, Srinagar Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Aijaz and senior tourism department officials visited the scene of the blaze on the Dal Lake and assured all possible help in rebuilding the damaged houseboats.
This was the second major fire incident involving houseboats that are anchored on the Dal and the Nigeen lakes. In April 2022, seven houseboats were gutted in a devastating fire on Nigeen Lake, mostly popular among foreign tourists, on the outskirts of the city. However, no one was hurt in the incident
