HYDERABAD: The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Saturday took over the probe into the fire at the Srisailam hydro-electric power plant that killed nine people and injured three. Most of those dead were engineers. The fire broke out in the plant located in Nagarkurnool district of Telangana on August 20.

Additional Director General of Police, CID, Govind Singh, appointed as the Inquiry Officer, along with a team of officials, visited the scene of the accident on Saturday. A case registered by the local police has been transferred to the CID, Singh told a news agency.

The nine bodies were recovered on Friday afternoon. The victims, who were trapped inside the plant, died trying putting out the fire.

Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Friday ordered a CID inquiry into the accident. The CID officer was directed to go into the facts and circumstances leading to the blaze and identify its cause before submitting his report to the government.

The government had also directed Telangana State Power Generation Corporation Ltd (TS-GENCO) Chairman and Managing Director D Prabhakar Rao to constitute a committee of senior officers to inquire into the blaze and give a detailed report. The GENCO CMD shall report to the government on the findings and recommendations, a Government Order said.

The committee shall also make recommendations on the measures to be taken to prevent such incidents in future, it said. The plant, located 125 metres under the ground in a long tunnel, has only one entry and exit point.

CM KCR has announced Rs 50 lakh as ex- gratia to Deputy Engineer Srinivas Goud's family and Rs 25 lakh each to the kin of other victims. Also, he announced one job each to the families of the deceased, besides other departmental benefits.