Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], May 31 (ANI): Family members of the 17 victims who lost their lives in the Gulzar House fire have demanded a formal inquiry into the incident, alleging lapses by both the fire department and hospital authorities.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Santosh Gupta, a relative of one of the deceased, accused the fire department of not responding promptly to the emergency and claimed that fire personnel were not equipped with adequate apparatus to handle the situation.

Another family member, Nitish Gupta, alleged that medical assistance at the hospital was also delayed.

'There was no paramedical staff in the ambulance. All the casualties occurred due to suffocation,' the family members said, expressing deep frustration over the response from emergency services.

The family members demanded justice from the High Court and requested an investigation into the matter.

'I want justice from the High Court, and I want a judicial committee to see what is right and what is wrong,' Santosh Gupta said.

Meanwhile, the tragic incident occurred in the early hours of May 18, when a massive fire broke out in a building in the Gulzar House area, near Charminar in the old city of Hyderabad. At least 17 people, including eight children, were killed in the blaze.

An ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakhs has been announced by the state government for the families of the victims who lost their lives in the fire incident at Gulzar House.

Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh for the families of the victims.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh for each kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to those injured in the mishap, from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF).

On May 20, the Telangana government constituted a six-member high-level committee to investigate the recent fire incident at Gulzar House near Charminar. (ANI)