Horror as at least 21 killed after huge fire engulfs hotel and restaurant in New Delhi

At least 21 people have been killed and several others injured after a huge fire swept through a building in a New Delhi neighbourhood on Wednesday. The fire is believed to have broken out at around 8.50am local time in the restaurant of the Flourish Stay hotel in Malviya Nagar.

Located in the southern part of the Indian city the five-storey building reportedly had a restaurant in the basement and a hotel above. The predominantly residential area is densely populated and is popular with students and young professionals. The emergency services raced to the scene with eight fire engines extinguishing the blaze. More than 40 people were rescued and taken to nearby hospitals, Delhi police said in a statement. The cause of the blaze was not immediately known.

Dramatic images from the scene showed firefighters trying to douse the blaze as thick smoke billowed from the building. As the fire engulfed the building crowds of locals were seen running.

People trapped inside were seen hanging from windows and shouting for help as flames spread, while others jumped as smoke moved through parts of the building.

Local residents also joined rescue efforts, helping evacuate people trapped inside and carrying some of the injured to safety.

Wasim Raja, a resident of Hauz Rani village who joined the rescue efforts, said he placed a mattress from a nearby shop on the ground to cushion the fall of people jumping from the building.

He said: “We took the mattresses from there and laid them on the road to help the foreigners who were jumping out of the building.

“Soon after, the teams of Delhi Fire Service and Delhi Police arrived here. We pulled out several foreign nationals in unconscious condition from inside the building.

“The villagers, along with firemen and police, rescued many people. We have suffered injuries in our feet due to glass.”

Many of the victims are believed to be foreign nationals who had traveled to India for medical treatment, local media reported.

Many foreign patients travel to New Delhi for medical treatment and often stay in nearby hotels or residential accommodation during their visits.

In a post on X, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences and announced financial assistance of 200,000 rupees (£1,557) for each family that lost a loved one.

Fires are common in India, partly due to the widespread non-compliance with building codes and fire safety regulations by developers and occupants.