At least 21 people, including 18 foreign nationals, were killed on Wednesday after a fire broke out at a hotel in South Delhi, police and Indian broadcaster CNN-News18 said.
The blaze erupted at a four-storey hotel in Malviya Nagar, one of the worst fire incidents in India’s capital since 2022. CNN-News18 reported that the foreign victims included nationals from Bangladesh, Nigeria, Mozambique and Liberia, though Reuters said it could not immediately verify the nationalities.
Witnesses said several people trapped on the upper floors jumped from the burning building to escape the flames, while residents dragged mattresses from a nearby shop and placed them on the road to try to soften their fall.
“People spread mattresses, and a woman from the third floor jumped on it with a little kid,” witness Sher Khan said.
Television footage showed smoke pouring from the building as at least two people jumped from an upper floor. Local residents who joined the first rescue efforts said the fire began on the ground and first floors, blocking escape routes for those above.
“There is a mattress shop here. We took the mattresses from there and laid them on the road to help those who were jumping out of the building,” local resident Wasim Raja told ANI news agency.
Police said the fire started shortly before 9 a.m. local time, and eight fire engines were sent to the scene. A Reuters witness said the blaze was brought under control around midday.
“Through the coordinated efforts of police, fire services, and other emergency responders, more than 40 persons have been rescued and shifted to nearby hospitals for medical treatment,” police said.
“It is with profound sorrow that 21 persons have been declared dead in this tragic incident,” the statement added.
A spokesperson for the state-run All India Institute of Medical Sciences said the hospital had received 13 patients, two of them in critical condition.
Local administration official Jitendra Kumar said early indications suggested the fire may have been linked to a restaurant operating on the ground floor of the building.
“There was reportedly a restaurant operating on the ground floor of the building. It is most likely that the fire was connected to that restaurant,” Kumar told reporters.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences in a post on X, saying authorities were providing all possible assistance to those affected.