2023-11-11 23:49:04
SRINAGAR, India (AP) — A massive fire on Saturday consumed several wooden houseboats docked on the popular Dal Lake in Indian-controlled Kashmir and three charred bodies were recovered from the rubble, authorities said.
The three dead were tourists from Bangladesh who were staying on one of the destroyed houseboats, police said in a statement.
Five houseboats and some submerged huts were reduced to ashes in the intense fire that was extinguished after nearly two hours by fire trucks in Srinagar, the main city of Indian-controlled Kashmir, fire officer Mir Aqib said. .
Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire. Aqib said some cooking gas tanks exploded after the fire broke out on the houseboats where tourists from outside Kashmir stay.
Some houseboats anchored nearby were removed from the scene, according to police.
Boat tours on Dal Lake are very popular among tourists who also stay there while visiting Srinagar, the main city in Indian-controlled Kashmir.
Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since British colonialists granted them independence in 1947. Both countries claim Kashmir in its entirety and have fought two wars for control.
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