Fire in Delhi Medical Guest House Kills 21, Over 40 Rescued

At least 21 people were killed and several others injured after a fire tore through a multi-storey building in Delhi's Malviya Nagar locality, police said. The blaze broke out at about 08:50 local time. Many of the victims were foreign nationals from South Asian countries who had travelled to India for medical treatment or to accompany relatives undergoing care, local media reported.

The building operated as a bed-and-breakfast catering to patients and relatives receiving treatment at a nearby private hospital. More than 40 people were rescued and taken to hospital. It remains unclear how many people were inside the building when the fire broke out.

The cause of the fire is not yet known. Firefighters brought the blaze under control. "The fire was brought under control quite early on - it was contained very quickly. We have now cleared the building and opened it up for the police," fire officer AK Malik said.

Rescue operations are continuing at the site. Videos on social media showed flames shooting from the building as people gathered nearby. "The fire broke out at about 08:50... we rushed to the spot to see that the entire building was on fire.

People started to jump out of the building from the second and third floors. The fire-fighting team had reached the spot immediately and started rescue work," Wasim Raj told ANI news agency. Sher Khan, who lives nearby, described scenes of panic.

"As the fire intensified, it seemed as if there was no way to jump from here. People spread mattresses, and some from the third floor jumped out with a little kid... She was saying that she fractured her leg," he said.

Israr Khan, another local resident, said "all of us have been here since morning. We rescued a child who jumped from the higher floor". Delhi minister Ashish Sood said authorities were investigating whether the building had the necessary permissions to operate as a bed-and-breakfast facility.

"Those found responsible for any violations would face criminal action," he said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences and announced compensation of 200,000 rupees for the families of those killed and 50,000 rupees for those injured.

Several people in the building were from Bangladesh and other South Asian countries and had travelled to Delhi for medical treatment, local lawmaker Satish Upadhyay said.