New Delhi hotel fire kills at least 21, many of them foreign medical tourists trapped on upper floors

What happened

A fire broke out on Wednesday morning at the Flourish Stay B&B, a building in the Malviya Nagar neighbourhood of southern New Delhi that housed a restaurant on the ground floor and a hotel above. The Delhi fire service received a call at 8:48 a.m. local time and dispatched eight fire engines to the scene. The blaze was extinguished, but at least 21 people were declared dead and more than 40 were rescued and taken to nearby hospitals.

It is with profound sorrow that 21 persons have been declared dead in this tragic incident.

The cause of the fire was not immediately known, though local administration official Jitendra Kumar told reporters it was most likely connected to the restaurant on the ground floor. Witness Istkhar Ahmad, a driver who has lived in the neighbourhood for 25 years, said he saw a small fire that looked like it started in the kitchen before it engulfed the whole building.

Desperate escape attempts

Television footage and witness accounts described scenes of panic as people trapped on upper floors cried out for help while flames and smoke spread through the building. Several people jumped from windows to escape. Bystanders pulled mattresses from a nearby shop and laid them on the road to break the fall of those leaping from the second and third floors.

The fire broke out at about 08:50... we rushed to the spot to see that the entire building was on fire. There is a mattress shop at the corner from where we took out mattresses and laid them on the road.

Witness Sher Khan described a woman who jumped from the third floor with a small child and fractured her leg. Local resident Israr Khan said neighbours rescued a child who jumped from a higher floor. Istkhar Ahmad estimated that about 10 or 12 people jumped, and said most of them were Nigerians.

Victims and the medical tourism link

Several of those killed were visitors from African and Central Asian countries who had come to New Delhi for medical treatment, according to local media reports and the Indian news agency PTI. Local lawmaker Satish Upadhyay said some people in the building were from Bangladesh and other South Asian countries. The hotel is located near several private hospitals, and the area is popular with foreign patients who travel to India for affordable treatments unavailable at home.

Official response

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences and announced compensation of 200,000 rupees (approximately 1,800 euros) for the families of those killed and 50,000 rupees for the injured. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta ordered an investigation into the incident. Forensic teams were deployed to the site, and authorities said the building was still being searched for additional victims.

The loss of lives was tragic.

A pattern of unsafe buildings

Building fires are relatively common in India due to a lack of firefighting equipment, frequent disregard for safety regulations, and poorly enforced building codes. Investigations into past deadly blazes in Delhi have repeatedly pointed to lax inspections, faulty electrical systems, and buildings operating beyond their approved use. The fire comes days after a building collapsed less than a mile away on May 30, killing six people.