‘Pressure cookers near their bodies’: Tragic details emerge from Delhi Malviya Nagar hotel fire
Delhi Malviya Nagar fire at Floris Stay hotel tragically claimed 21 lives, with eyewitnesses recounting desperate attempts to break through the building's glass exterior for escape. The locked roof door trapped many inside, hindering rescue efforts amidst the devastating inferno
A devastating fire at the Floris Stay hotel in Malviya Nagar, Delhi, resulted in 21 fatalities, with eyewitness accounts detailing the harrowing escape attempts of victims. Rescuers reported that a locked door to the hotel's roof trapped individuals inside, while the building's glass exterior proved exceptionally difficult to break, hindering rescue efforts despite attempts with bricks, stones, and even pressure cookers, until an iron rod was finally used to shatter the glass. Local shopkeepers provided mattresses for those who jumped from the third floor, and a head constable, Dinesh Kumar, is being praised for his bravery in using a ladder and hammer to break windows and release smoke, sustaining injuries in the process. The narrow streets and dense crowds also complicated rescue operations, preventing ambulances from reaching the scene easily and necessitating the manual transportation of unconscious victims.
A devastating fire at the Floris Stay hotel in Malviya Nagar, Delhi, resulted in 21 fatalities, with eyewitness accounts detailing the harrowing escape attempts of victims. Rescuers reported that a locked door to the hotel's roof trapped individuals inside, while the building's glass exterior proved exceptionally difficult to break, hindering rescue efforts despite attempts with bricks, stones, and even pressure cookers, until an iron rod was finally used to shatter the glass. Local shopkeepers provided mattresses for those who jumped from the third floor, and a head constable, Dinesh Kumar, is being praised for his bravery in using a ladder and hammer to break windows and release smoke, sustaining injuries in the process. The narrow streets and dense crowds also complicated rescue operations, preventing ambulances from reaching the scene easily and necessitating the manual transportation of unconscious victims.
A devastating fire at the Floris Stay hotel in Malviya Nagar, Delhi, resulted in 21 fatalities, with eyewitness accounts detailing the harrowing escape attempts of victims. Rescuers reported that a locked door to the hotel's roof trapped individuals inside, while the building's glass exterior proved exceptionally difficult to break, hindering rescue efforts despite attempts with bricks, stones, and even pressure cookers, until an iron rod was finally used to shatter the glass. Local shopkeepers provided mattresses for those who jumped from the third floor, and a head constable, Dinesh Kumar, is being praised for his bravery in using a ladder and hammer to break windows and release smoke, sustaining injuries in the process. The narrow streets and dense crowds also complicated rescue operations, preventing ambulances from reaching the scene easily and necessitating the manual transportation of unconscious victims.
As police investigate the Delhi Malviya Nagar fire incident, which claimed the lives of 21 people after a deadly blaze tore through the Floris Stay hotel, eyewitnesses describe the desperate attempt made by the victims to escape from the inferno by breaking the glass panes.
According to local media reports, although local people initiated rescue efforts after the fire began spreading, the door leading to the roof of the hotel was closed, trapping people inside. The building’s glass exterior also proved fatal.
Mohammad Afzal, one of the first to respond to the rescue, told reporters, "When we arrived, we saw that the fire had reached only the third floor. Though some of the people tried to get to the terrace, the door was closed, trapping them inside.”
He added that the building's glass exterior also posed a major obstacle to the rescue efforts. "The glass on the building's exterior was unbreakable. We threw bricks and stones at it to get people out, but to no avail. Finally, one of our relatives took an iron rod and broke the glass on each floor, only for some people to escape."
Fazal, another rescuer, said, "We saw that many people had even brought pressure cookers to break the glass wall, but were not successful. Pressure cookers were found lying near those bodies."
Local shopkeeper Arman Mansoori and his father, Riyazuddin Mansoori, also made every effort to save the victims. They took out at least 20 mattresses from their shop and spread them out to protect those who jumped out of the third floor.
Meanwhile, head constable Dinesh Kumar, one of the first to arrive at the tragedy site, is also being hailed for a heroic act. Kumar, who arrived at the venue after receiving information about the fire, immediately bought a ladder from a nearby store and climbed up with a hammer. He broke the windowpanes to let the smoke escape. “Some of the glass shattered and struck my eye and hand. It was painful, but at that moment, all I could see were the people trapped inside,” Kumar was quoted by Navbharat Times.
The rescue work was hampered by narrow streets and heavy crowds. Ambulances were unable to reach the site easily, and many unconscious people had to be moved using sheets.