The area is popular with tourists and several people in the hotel were tourists from Myanmar. The hotel is located in central Delhi’s Karol Bagh.
At least 17 people were killed and several injured after a fire at Hotel Arpit Palace in Delhi’s Karol Bagh broke out and congested the area this early morning.
As per a report, woman and a child are amongst the 17 who died in the fire, as some people tried jumping out from a window.
More than two dozen fire engines were sent to the spot after the hotel’s top two floors were ablazed around 4 am. Most of the 150 people in the 65-room hotel were sleeping at the time, the staff told sources. The fire could have started because of a short-circuit, reports said.
Video recorded on cell phones by eyewitnesses showed huge flames crowning the terrace of the white six-storey building. A person is seen hanging from the terrace and then jumping off.
The fire was brought under control around 7 am. Thirty-five people were rescued and those injured were taken to nearby hospitals. Most of the deaths took place due to suffocation, the police said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted:
Several people in the hotel were tourists from Myanmar. At least 35 rooms were booked by a family who were in the city for a function, news agency IANS reported.
“The hotel had clearance only for four floors. They had made a kitchen and terrace on top of it. This is a major case of negligence. Investigation is on. Strict action will be taken against the guilty,” Delhi minister Satyendar Jain, who visited the site, said. A magisterial inquiry has been ordered, he added.
Karol Bagh, in central Delhi, is popular with tourists on a budget and lined with hotels and markets.
Last week near Noida, a fire broke out in a hospital, forcing emergency evacuation of patients. Nobody was hurt.
Source: IANS
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