At least 21 dead in major fire at restaurant and hotel in Delhi

At least 21 people have died in a fire that engulfed a restaurant in India’s capital Delhi on Wednesday morning.

Delhi Fire Services said they rushed multiple fire engines to the Lemon Green Restaurant in the busy Malviya Nagar neighbourhood of South Delhi area after receiving a call about a blaze around 9.45am.

The building houses a restaurant on the ground floor and a hotel above, with local officials describing how some people survived by jumping from windows on upper storeys.

Police said around 40 people were rescued in total and were being treated by hospitals in the South Delhi area. There are fears the toll could continue to rise, with some victims being treated for severe burns.

The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, though police indicated it likely started in the restaurant.

Local media reported that some victims were foreign nationals who had travelled to Delhi for medical treatment. Malviya Nagar isn’t far from a number of the city’s main private hospitals, many of which have streamlined services catering to international patients.

Somnath Bharti, a former lawmaker from the constituency, in a post on X claimed that “majorly South African nationals” were found dead, though this has yet to be confirmed by officials.

Sub-divisional magistrate Jitendra Kumar said the restaurant was operating on the ground floor of the building. "The exact cause of the fire is still not known, but it is most likely that the blaze originated from the restaurant," he was quoted by the Times of India as saying.

He added that some “people from the floors above jumped out of the building on the mattresses laid on the road by the locals”.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his condolences to those affected, his office said in a post on X. It said the families of those killed would receive Rs 200,000 each in financial assistance.

Chief minister Rekha Gupta also offered condolences in a post on X. "I pray for the speedy recovery of those injured and for strength & courage to all those affected by this heartbreaking tragedy," she wrote.

"Delhi government is closely monitoring the situation. All necessary medical assistance & support are being extended to the affected families.

"In this hour of grief Delhi govt stands firmly with the affected families. We remain committed to providing every possible support to those impacted by this tragedy."

The incident comes a day after 11 people sustained injuries following a suspected LPG cylinder explosion that led to the collapse of a building in north Delhi’s Mukundpur area on Tuesday.

Six people died over the weekend in a building collapse in the capital's Saket area.