Fire Kills at Least 21 at Delhi Hotel, Many Victims Foreign Nationals

m. local time on Wednesday in the ground-floor restaurant of the Flourish Inn Stay hotel in Delhi's Malviya Nagar neighborhood. Flames and smoke spread rapidly through the five-story building, where many guests were still asleep. Police said at least 21 people died, including 17 foreign nationals from African and central Asian countries.

Forty-seven people were inside the hotel when the fire started.

Videos showed some people jumping from upper-floor windows to escape. A local resident who reached the scene early said rescuers took time to arrive but that bystanders pulled seven people from the basement before official help reached the site. The nearby Max Hospital Saket received 18 bodies and treated 15 injured people in its intensive care units.

The hotel is frequently used by patients seeking treatment at the facility.

A preliminary fire department review found the hotel lacked a valid fire safety certificate. Police registered a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against unknown persons, and an investigation into the cause is underway. Officials said reports suggest an electrical short circuit may have started the blaze, though the exact cause has not been confirmed.

Modi announced relief payments of 200,000 Indian rupees for families of the deceased and 50,000 rupees for those injured. The Chief Minister of Delhi described the incident as a "heartbreaking tragedy" and offered condolences to victims and their families.