A massive blaze took over at the Lemon Green Restaurant in Malviya Nagar in Delhi on Wednesday morning. At least 20 people died, and several others were injured when rescued.
About 10 fire tenders, including two water engines, two bowsers, a quick response vehicle and other units, were deployed to the site.
Firefighters brought the fire under control.
According to reports, the Delhi Fire Service received the call regarding the blaze at around 9:40 am. The fire department team began the rescue operation as soon as they arrived at the scene.
The blaze reportedly began around 8:50 am.
ANI initially reported 10 dead.
The injured have been taken to a nearby hospital.
The Delhi Fire Service said that about 3 people were rescued from the basement in an initial statement.
One video showed people jumping to the ground from the burning building to escape the fire.
Jitendra Kumar, Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), said that they learned that a restaurant was operating on the ground floor of the building. He also said that the exact cause of the fire is still unknown.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta offered her condolences to the bereaved families.
The hotel reportedly consisted of approximately 25 rooms and housed around 40 people at the time of the fire. Most of them were reportedly foreign nationals who were asleep as the fire broke out. The guests reportedly travelled to the country for medical treatment.
Chef Kesar Singh, who works at the hotel's restaurant, said that around 8 a.m., he tried to light an electric stove, News 18 reported. A fire suddenly erupted. He immediately told his assistant that the hotel was on fire. "When I stepped outside, I saw that the entire hotel was on fire. I somehow managed to escape," he said.
The cause of the fire is unknown and is being investigated.
