At least 21, mostly foreign nationals, dead in fire at India hotel

New Delhi – At least 21 people were killed by a fire that tore through a hotel in India’s capital city on Wednesday morning, police said.

The fire started around 8:50 a.m. local time (about 11 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday) in the ground floor restaurant of the Flourish Inn Stay hotel in southern Delhi’s Malviya Nagar neighborhood. It quickly spread to upper floors, where many people were still asleep in their rooms.

Videos showed some people jumping from the upper floors of the five-story building to escape the smoke and flames.

“I saw at least two people jumping out from the windows,” local resident Vasim Raja, who was one of the first people to reach the scene, told CBS News. “Rescuers took time to reach the spot but we brought out seven people from the basement of the building before any rescuers arrived.”

Authorities said 47 people were in the building when the fire broke out, and police confirmed that at least 21 people, including 17 foreign nationals from African and central Asian nations, had died.

The hotel is popular with people who come for treatment at the Max Hospital Saket, a major healthcare facility just 50 yards away. In a statement, the hospital said 18 deceased victims of the blaze were brought into the facility, while 15 people were treated for various injuries in its intensive care units.

India’s quality, relatively affordable healthcare has made it a hub of medical tourism, drawing patients from African, central Asian and Persian Gulf countries, as well as others.

The Delhi Police registered a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against unknown persons in connection with the fire and an investigation was underway.

A preliminary investigation by the fire department found the hotel had no valid fire safety certificate. 

Authorities said they had ordered an investigation into the cause of the blaze, which was still unknown, but there were reports suggesting it may have been sparked by an electrical short circuit.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised state “relief” payments of 200,000 Indian rupees (about $2,020) for the families of the dead and 50,000 rupees (about $520) for those injured in the fire.

The Chief Minister of Delhi, Rekha Gupta, called the incident a “heartbreaking tragedy” and offered his condolences to the victims and their families.