NEW DELHI: At least 21 people lost their lives after a fire broke out at a restaurant in the Malviya Nagar area of south Delhi on Wednesday morning, according to officials.
The Delhi Fire Services (DFS) said it received an emergency call about the blaze at around 9:45 a.m. and immediately dispatched several fire engines to the site. Reports indicate that many of the victims were foreign nationals, Indian media reports said.
The fire reportedly started at Flourish Stay B&B, a building that housed a restaurant on the ground floor. Rescue teams evacuated more than 40 people from the premises and transported them to nearby hospitals using Centralised Accident and Trauma Services (CATS) ambulances.
Earlier reports stated that three individuals were rescued from the building’s basement and taken for medical treatment.
Jitendra Kumar, Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) and an official of the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), said emergency response mechanisms were activated as soon as information about the incident was received.
He said all Emergency Operation Centres (EOCs) were alerted and directed to reach the location immediately. Kumar added that he postponed a scheduled training programme to oversee the response efforts at the site.
According to preliminary findings, the fire is believed to have originated in the restaurant operating on the ground floor of the building, although the exact cause remains under investigation.
(Inputs from TOI)
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