The toll in the devastating fire that engulfed a multi-storeyed apartment complex in the Nampally area of Hyderabad in Telangana has risen to nine, according to police reports on Monday.

The fire originated on the ground floor of the building, where containers with chemicals were stored. A total of 21 persons were successfully evacuated from the building, with 10 of them being transferred to a hospital. Unfortunately, nine of those hospitalized have succumbed, with asphyxiation suspected as the cause, as per preliminary information provided by a senior Fire Department official.