Large fire in the Indian capital, at least 27 people died

The scene of the fire – Screenshot Hindustan Times

“The total death toll is now 27. Search and rescue is underway,” an official of the New Delhi Fire Department informed on the evening of May 13 (local time). According to the official, 25 people were injured, including those who jumped out when the fire broke out.

The media India Citing other sources, up to 40 people were injured, mostly burns, and were being treated at the hospital. About 60 – 70 people were found by the rescue team and brought out of the fire safely.

Currently, the fire has been extinguished after 7 hours of fighting with the fire department. Pictures from the scene showed smoke still rising from the building’s floors.

CNN-News18 television channel quoted Atul Garg of the New Delhi Fire Department as saying that the third floor of the building has not been searched and many bodies are likely to be in this area.

The fire started on the first floor of the building, which houses the offices of a company that makes routers and security cameras, NDTV radio quoted police official Sameer Sharma as saying.

Because the fire broke out from the first floor, the evacuation was difficult. According to the sheet Hindustan Timesthe cause of the fire may be an electrical short.

A spokesman for the New Delhi police confirmed that police had arrested Harish Goel and Varun Goel, the owners of the business operating on the first floor of the building.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind expressed their grief over the loss of life.

Fires are common in India, where building laws and safety standards are often overlooked by builders and residents. In 2019, a fire caused by an electrical short engulfed a building, killing 43 people in New Delhi.