Victims included a woman and a child who jumped from a window to escape the blaze that broke out before dawn at the budget Hotel Arpit Palace. Images showed flames and thick smoke billowing out of the top floor of the hotel, located in a congested part of the Indian capital. Guests at the hotel — popular with budget and business travellers — were unable to use corridors to escape because of wooden panelling, according to a fire officer. Delhi home minister Satyendra Jain told reporters that rules were flouted to construct extra floors, with a terrace being used as an open air restaurant. He also directed the fire department to inspect other buildings in the congested area and file a report within a week. Three Myanmar citizens staying at the hotel were missing, the NDTV news network reported. Most of the guests were sleeping at the time the fire broke out and suffocated to death. A fire fighter looks out of a window during the rescue operations at a hotel where a massive fire broke out in New Delhi, India, 12 February 2019. // EPA-EFE PHOTO Four people were injured in the incident. It is estimated around 120 people were inside the hotel — built around 25 years ago — when the fire started. “We have confirmed with hospital authorities the toll is now 17 including a child,” Sunil Choudhary, a senior fire brigade official, told AFP. G.C. Misra,… [Read full story]
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