A young couple from Odisha were among the eight persons killed in the midnight hotel fire in Secunderabad.

The couple identified as Chandan Jethi, 30, and Mitali Mohapatra, 29, hailed from Cuttack. They got married in November 2020.

The family members of the couple on Tuesday left for Hyderabad following a message from Secunderabad police about the death.

“We are in a state of shock. We have not decided whether we will bring the bodies to Puri for cremation. Let’s reach there first,” said Sovan Jethi, Chandan’s cousin.

The family members told reporters that Mitali and Chandan were based in Bangalore. While Chandan was an IT professional, Mitali worked with a skin and hair clinic.

“They had come to Cuttack during Ganesh Puja. After the Ganesh Puja, they left for Secunderabad as Mitali had a training programme there for 10 days. According to the plan, they were to leave Secunderabad on Friday. But then the tragedy hit them,” Spandan, elder brother of Chandan, told The Telegraph.

The couple were among the eight who died in the fire at Ruby Pride Luxury Hotel that appears to have originated from an allegedly illegal e-bike showroom in the cellar.

“Everyday, I used to call my younger brother Chandan over the phone. But last night the phone remained switched off after 10pm. We thought they must be tired. Today morning, we called their mobile numbers again. But they were switched off. Around 11am on Tuesday we got a call from the police informing us about the mishap. They also sent the photos of Chandan and Mitali for verification,” Spandan added.

He said: “According to information, they were not able to open the automatic lock of the door and passed away due to suffocation. But let us first reach the spot.”

According to media reports, the fire is suspected to have started in the e-bike showroom in the cellar of the hotel building.

The flames leapt up the staircase and soon engulfed the entire building.