Jaipur: A devastating fire claimed the lives of four individuals at a hotel in the Diggi Bazaar locality of Ajmer in Rajasthan, on Thursday morning, officials said.

The fire erupted at a five-storey hotel, prompting several guests to leap from windows in a desperate attempt to escape the flames.

"Fire incident occurred at a hotel in Diggi Bazaar area today morning. Police team is on the spot. Four people, including two men, a woman and a child, have died due to suffocation and burn injuries," JLN Medical College Principal Dr Anil Samaria said.

Additional SP Himanshu Jangid said the narrow approach road to the hotel is hampering rescue work. The fire was apparently caused by a short circuit.

A guest at the hotel said there was a sound of a blast after which he, along with his wife, ran out.

"A woman threw her child in my lap from a window. She also tried to jump off the building, but we stopped her," Mangila Kalosia, who was staying at the hotel, said.

He said a man also jumped from a window and sustained head injuries.

PTI