At least 21 people have been killed in a massive fire at a hotel in Delhi’s Malviya Nagar area. Among the dead were foreign nationals. At least forty people were also injured, who were admitted to various hospitals.
According to authorities, the fire broke out at a restaurant in the basement of the five-storey Florish State Hotel at 8am on Wednesday. The fire quickly spread to the entire building and reached the nearby Mikasa Inn Hotel. As the narrow alleys and densely populated areas are located, the rescue operation has to be very fast.
Witnesses said most of the guests were asleep when the fire broke out. Many people jumped out of the building to save their lives. Some of them were badly injured while jumping.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the hotel was operating more rooms than approved. The situation became more complicated as there was only one entrance and exit of the building. An investigation is also underway to determine whether the fire safety permit was issued.
After the incident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief and announced to provide financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh to the families of the victims and 50 thousand rupees to the injured. At the same time, Rekha Gupta has directed to ensure speedy rescue and medical assistance.