Foreign nationals among at least 21 killed in Delhi fire
Police said that at least 21 people died and many others were injured after a fire broke out in a multi-storey building in Delhi, the capital of India.
According to local media reports, most of the victims were foreign nationals from South Asian countries who had traveled to India to receive medical treatment or to accompany relatives receiving care.
It is claimed that the building was used as a hostel serving patients and their relatives treated at a nearby private hospital.
More than 40 people were rescued and taken to hospital. It is not yet known how many people were in the building in Malviya Nagar when the fire broke out. The cause of the fire is not yet known.
While firefighters are taking the fire under control, rescue efforts are continuing in the region.
Fire officer AK Malik said, “The fire was brought under control quite early, very quickly. We have now cleared the building and opened it to the police.”
Authorities are investigating whether the building has the necessary permits to operate as a bed-and-breakfast, Delhi minister Ashish Sood said, adding that those found responsible for any violations would face criminal action.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences and announced compensation of 200,000 rupees ($2,088; £1,552) to the families of the dead and 50,000 rupees to those injured.
It is claimed that the building was used as a hostel serving patients and their relatives receiving treatment at a nearby private hospital. [ANI]
Videos on social media showed flames coming out of the building as people gathered nearby. Footage broadcast by Indian news channels showed the exterior of the building badly burned as emergency officials searched the area.
Eyewitnesses said that the fire spread rapidly and people were trapped on the upper floors. Bystanders helped some escape before emergency crews arrived.
Wasim Raj told news agency ANI: “The fire broke out around 8.50 am… We rushed to the spot and saw that the entire building was on fire. There is a mattress shop around the corner, we took out the mattresses from there and spread them on the road.”
“People started jumping out from the second and third floors of the building. The fire team immediately reached the scene and started rescue efforts.”
Sher Khan, who lives nearby, described scenes of panic as people trapped on the upper floors screamed for help.
“As the fire got more intense, it looked like there was no way to jump out of here. People laid out mattresses, and some jumped out from the third floor with a little boy… He was saying he broke his leg,” he said.
Israr Khan, a resident of the area, told reporters, “We have all been here since the morning. We saved a child who jumped from the top floor.”
Local MP Satish Upadhyay said many people in the building were from Bangladesh and other South Asian countries and had gone to Delhi for medical treatment.
Fires are common in India, where building safety laws are poorly enforced.
From factories to training centres, hospitals to entertainment venues, many of Delhi’s deadliest fires have revealed a persistent gap between safety rules on paper and their implementation on the ground.
Investigations have repeatedly pointed to lax inspections, faulty electrical systems and buildings operating beyond their approved use.
