Hyderabad, Jan 24 (IANS): Telangana Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy had a narrow escape when cars in his convoy piled up in Suryapet district on Friday.

The incident occurred near Garidepalli when the minister was en route to attend Urs celebrations at Janpahad.

Eight cars in the minister's convoy were damaged in the collision when his vehicle suddenly stopped.

The minister reportedly wanted to meet party workers standing by the roadside and asked the driver of his vehicle to stop.

No one was hurt in the incident but eight cars suffered minor damages. The minister later resumed his journey.

Meanwhile, a truck overturned in Hyderabad's Lakdi Ka Pul area on Friday, resulting in a massive traffic jam in the heart of the city.

A tragedy was averted as the vehicle overturned when only a few vehicles were plying in the area.

The accident, however, led to a huge traffic jam on roads leading to Nampally and Secretariat. Police swung into action to control the traffic.

A crane was deployed to remove the truck. Hyderabad also witnessed two fire accidents on Friday.

In the first incident, seven new cars were gutted when a huge fire broke out in the Mahindra car showroom in the Kondapur area.

Fire tenders rushed to the area and doused the fire. There were no casualties in the incident. Fire services officials suspect short-circuit led to the mishap.

In another accident, three roadside shops were gutted in a fire in the Nizampet area. The incident occurred near the Fitness Studio.

The fire broke out in a food stall due to a gas cylinder explosion and spread to two adjoining shops. Fire engines rushed to the spot and doused the flames.

Police said there were no casualties. Police registered a case and took up further investigation.