At least 21 people, including 10 foreigners, were killed after a massive fire broke out at a restaurant in South Delhi's Malviya Nagar on Wednesday morning.
A total of 37 people were rescued from the building, according to the Delhi Fire Service (DFS).
Officials said the fire was reported around 8:50 am at the restaurant located in the Malviya Nagar area.
The Delhi Fire Service initially dispatched six fire tenders and emergency response vehicles to the spot. As the scale of the blaze became apparent, additional firefighting units were rushed to the location.
At 9:16 am, the incident was upgraded to a "Make-4" fire category, leading to the deployment of 10 firefighting vehicles, including water tenders, water bowsers, a quick response vehicle, a multipurpose vehicle and a breathing apparatus support unit.
During the initial rescue operation, firefighters entered the smoke-filled basement of the restaurant and rescued three people, who were immediately shifted to a hospital by CATS ambulances.
The rescue operation was later expanded as teams searched the premises for more trapped occupants.
By 11:20 am, officials said 37 people had been rescued from the building by DFS personnel, police teams and local residents. All rescued individuals were taken to various hospitals for treatment and medical examination.
Reacting to the incident, AAP leader Somnath Bharti said in a post on X that the fire broke out in a multi-storey building in Hauz Rani, which falls under his assembly constituency.
“Massive fire in a multi-storied building in Hauzrani, my assembly constituency, today around 8.30 a.m., casualties possible. Majorly South African nationals,” Bharti wrote.
The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. Authorities are continuing rescue and investigation efforts.
