An unidentified body was found on Saturday, 21 January, in the gutted Deccan Cooperation building on Minister Road in the Ramgopalpet area of Secunderabad.
The fire, which started at around 11 am on 19 January, was doused after nearly 24 hours.
The latest development comes after South First reported on alleged three missing persons, who were feared dead.
The three were identified as Mohammed Junaid (32), Mohammed Wasim (38), and Zaheer Khan (22).
The body, presumably of one of the three missing persons, was found around 3 pm on Sunday by the officials of Telangana Fire Services and Hyderabad City police officials.
Heeding expert opinion, firefighters could not enter the premises for the past two days to find the missing people for fear that the building might collapse anytime.
Related: 3 missing feared dead as firefighters yet to enter building; 100s still displaced
Body burnt beyond recognition
Ramgopalpet SHO G Lingeshwar Rao told South First that the body was completely charred.
“We only found the skeletal remains of one of the missing persons,” he said.
After taking over, the Hyderabad Clues and Fingerprints team sent the corpse for a post-mortem examination to the mortuary of the Gandhi Hospital in Padmarao Nagar.
“The body was burnt beyond recognition. From whatever was left, it was hard to determine the identity,” Dr Venkanna, Head of the Clues and Fingerprints team, told South First.
About the possibility of a DNA test, he added: “There is a little leftover tissue from the flesh. So we have advised the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) to conduct the DNA test from that.”
04 persons who were trapped on the terrace were brought to safety using Sky lift ladder at #ramgopalpet #Secunderabad #fire accident. The building was engulfed by smoke & flames raged later on.#dial101 #telangana #Emergency #firesafety pic.twitter.com/SL9O4oh0eL
— Telangana Fire Services (@TelanganaFire) January 20, 2023
Firefighters finally enter building
Secunderabad’s Fire Regional Officer (FRO) Papaih Varla told South First that the body was found on the first floor near the staircase.
“Our officials are trying to find the rest of the missing bodies. Let’s see what happens,” he said.
He added that the firefighters entered the building after retaking the expert’s opinions and adhering to safety measures.
On Friday, the authorities also used two drones to try and find the missing people.
Meanwhile, the kin of Wasim earlier told South First that the three were not even supposed to be in the building during the fire, and that they had come to help out a relative.
