Death toll rises to 21 in Delhi restaurant fire; women seen jumping off building

New Delhi: The death toll in the devastating fire that broke out at a restaurant in Delhi's Malviya Nagar area has risen to 21, officials said on Wednesday.

The fire broke out Wednesday morning at the Flourish Stay bed-and-breakfast hotel in the congested Hauz Rani locality, triggering panic among dozens of trapped occupants.

Several others sustained injuries in the incident and were rushed to nearby hospitals as rescue teams carried out an extensive evacuation operation.

According to the Delhi Fire Services (DFS), a distress call regarding the blaze was received at around 9.45 am.

Multiple fire tenders were immediately dispatched to the spot, and firefighting operations continued for several hours as personnel worked to bring the flames under control and search for those trapped inside the building.

Visuals from the scene captured two women leaping from the building in an apparent bid to escape the raging fire and dense smoke. Their condition was not immediately known.

Officials said some people were rescued from the premises during the operation and shifted to hospitals in Centralised Accident and Trauma Services (CATS) ambulances.

Some of the injured are undergoing treatment, while authorities are closely monitoring their condition.

PM Narendra Modi’s reaction:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the Malviya Nagar fire tragedy, condoling the loss of lives and wishing a speedy recovery to those injured.

He said authorities are extending all possible assistance and announced an ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh for the families of each deceased and ₹50,000 for the injured from the PMNRF.

CM Rekha Gupta’s reaction:

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta expressed grief over the Malviya Nagar fire tragedy, condoling the loss of lives and wishing a speedy recovery to those injured.

She said emergency agencies were swiftly mobilised for rescue and relief operations, while the Delhi government is closely monitoring the situation and extending all necessary support to affected families.

Jitendra Kumar, Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) and an official with the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), said emergency response teams were mobilised immediately after information about the fire was received.

He added that all relevant agencies were alerted and instructed to reach the site without delay.

Preliminary findings suggest the fire may have originated in the restaurant on the building's ground floor.

However, officials said the exact cause of the blaze is yet to be established and will be determined after a detailed investigation.

The incident triggered panic in the area as thick smoke engulfed the building, prompting a large-scale rescue effort involving firefighters, disaster management personnel and local authorities.

Bodies recovered from the site have been sent for identification and post-mortem examinations.

Authorities have launched a comprehensive inquiry into the incident and are expected to examine whether any lapses in fire safety measures contributed to the tragedy.

Fire department officials continued cooling operations at the site while investigators gathered evidence.

The incident is among the deadliest fire tragedies reported in the national capital in recent times and has once again raised concerns over fire safety compliance in commercial establishments.