Nagarkurnool: A major fire broke out early today at Srisailam power station in Telangana. The fire was followed by an explosion in unit 4 of the power station. Dense smoke billowed as the flames erupted at once. Nearly 25 employees were on duty at the time of the accident.

As of now, 10 have been rescued and nine are still missing. DE Srinivas Goud, Sundar, Mohan Kumar, Sushma, Fatima, Venkat Rao, Etti Rambabu, and two other employees were reported missing.

Fire tenders rushed to the spot immediately and are trying to extinguish the blaze. Minister for Energy G Jagadish Reddy and Agriculture Minister Niranjan Reddy reached the spot. According to the sources, the rescue personnel tried to enter the power station units at least thrice but were unable to enter because of the dense smoke. Rescue operations are underway.

Minister Jagadish Reddy said that the accident at Srisailam Power House was unfortunate. He added that, "A fire broke out in the first unit. Four panels were reported damaged in the fire. 10 people rescued and 9 people were feared trapped. Dense smoke inside the station hampered rescue operations. Fire and police personnel went inside to rescue those trapped. We have asked help from Singareni Collieries workers since they work in underground conditions."