New Delhi: At least 21 people were killed and 35 others injured after a massive fire broke out at a hotel in Delhi’s Malviya Nagar area on Wednesday morning. Among the deceased are 11 foreign nationals, including nine African citizens and two from Turkmenistan, according to official information.
Authorities said 10 Indian nationals also lost their lives in the tragedy. Of them, eight were reportedly related to one another, including three from Rajasthan and five from Haryana.
The fire erupted around 8:50 am in the restaurant section of the Flourish Stay Hotel before rapidly spreading to guest rooms on the upper floors and the basement. Emergency teams rushed to the spot and launched a large-scale rescue operation.
Delhi Fire Service officials said 37 people were safely evacuated from the building during the operation. However, many victims suffered severe burn injuries and smoke inhalation. Nineteen of the injured are stated to be in critical condition and are undergoing treatment at various hospitals.
Chief Fire Officer Abhilash Malik said firefighters managed to rescue dozens of occupants from the smoke-filled structure. Preliminary findings have revealed that the hotel, which has 25 rooms, did not possess a valid fire No Objection Certificate (NOC).
The exact cause of the fire is yet to be established. Police and fire department officials have launched an investigation to determine the circumstances leading to the blaze and to examine whether safety regulations were violated.
Rescue and cooling operations continued for several hours as authorities assessed the damage and searched the premises for any remaining victims.
