According to an official of the Fire and Emergency Services Department, the fire broke out near Ghat number 9 of Dal Lake at around 5.15 am

Three bodies were recovered from the houseboats gutted in a blaze in the Dal Lake here on Saturday, officials said

The charred bodies were recovered in the early hours of Saturday near ghat number nine, the officials said

They said the deceased's identification was being ascertained. The deceased included a man and a woman, while the third victim's gender could not be ascertained so far

The fire broke out in the tourist hub of the Dal Lake early Saturday, destroying property worth crores of rupees, officials said

The cause of the fire, which consumed five houseboats and an equal number of huts attached to them, was not immediately known

At least five houseboats and three huts were damaged, the official said