Fire at Delhi Hotel Kills at Least 21, Including 17 Foreign Nationals

A fire tore through the Flourish Inn Stay hotel in southern Delhi's Malviya Nagar neighborhood on Wednesday morning, killing at least 21 people, police said. m. local time in the ground-floor restaurant and spread quickly to upper floors where guests were still asleep.

Videos showed some people jumping from windows to escape the smoke and flames. A local resident who reached the scene early said he saw at least two people jump from windows and that bystanders removed seven people from the basement before rescuers arrived.

Authorities said 47 people were in the five-story building when the fire started. Police confirmed that 17 of the 21 people who died were foreign nationals from African and central Asian nations. The nearby Max Hospital Saket received 18 bodies and treated 15 injured people in its intensive care units.

The Delhi Police registered a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against unknown persons. A preliminary fire department investigation found the hotel lacked a valid fire safety certificate. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, though reports suggested it may have started from an electrical short circuit.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced state relief payments of 200,000 Indian rupees for families of the dead and 50,000 rupees for those injured. The hotel is popular with patients receiving treatment at Max Hospital Saket, located about 50 yards away, reflecting India's role as a destination for medical tourism from several regions.