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Published : 03 Jun 2026, 02:16 PM
At least 21 people, including 18 foreign nationals, were killed in a fire at a hotel in Delhi on Wednesday, police and broadcaster CNN-News18 said, in one of the worst such incidents in the national capital since 2022.
The dead included people from Bangladesh, Nigeria, Mozambique and Liberia, the broadcaster said.
Reuters could not immediately confirm the nationalities of the victims.
Several people had jumped out of the burning building in South Delhi's Malviya Nagar to escape the flames, witnesses said, with residents dragging mattresses from a nearby store to try to break their fall.
"People spread mattresses, and a woman from the third floor jumped on it with a little kid," witness Sher Khan said.
Television footage showed two people jumping from a higher floor of the building as it was engulfed in flames, with smoke billowing out.
Local people who helped in the initial rescue said the fire broke out on the ground and first floors of the four-storey building, trapping those on higher floors.
"There is a mattress shop here ... We took the mattresses from there and laid them on the road to help those who were jumping out of the building," Wasim Raja, a local resident, told news agency ANI.
Fire May Have Started In Restaurant
The fire broke out a little before 9am (0330 GMT), and eight fire tenders were dispatched to douse the blaze, police said in a statement.
The fire was extinguished around midday, a Reuters witness said.
"Through the coordinated efforts of police, fire services, and other emergency responders, more than 40 persons have been rescued and shifted to nearby hospitals for medical treatment," police said.
"It is with profound sorrow that 21 persons have been declared dead in this tragic incident," it said.
A spokesperson at the state-run All India Institute of Medical Sciences told Reuters the hospital had received 13 patients, two of whom were critical.
"There was reportedly a restaurant operating on the ground floor of the building ... it is most likely that the fire was connected to that restaurant," local administration official Jitendra Kumar told reporters.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences for the loss of lives in a post on X. "Authorities are providing all possible assistance to those affected," he said.
In a media statement issued on Wednesday afternoon, the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi said it had identified five injured Bangladeshis so far.
Three of them are receiving treatment at Max Hospital in Saket, while the other two are being treated at Safdarjung Hospital.
“The High Commission remains in regular contact with the relevant authorities and is closely monitoring their condition,” it said.
Expressing condolences to the bereaved families, the mission said: “We extend our deepest sympathies to all those affected by this tragedy and wish the injured a speedy recovery. Bangladesh also commends the tireless efforts of those involved in the rescue and emergency response operations.”
