New Delhi: A massive fire at Lemon Green Restaurant in south Delhi’s Malviya Nagar on Wednesday morning left at least 20 people dead and several others injured, officials said. The casualties include foreign nationals, officials added.
Delhi Fire Services received an emergency call at 9:45 am and dispatched multiple fire tenders to the scene. Firefighters pulled three people from the restaurant’s basement and they were taken to hospital by CATS ambulances. Divisional Officer Ravinder of the Nehru Place fire station was reported to be at the site overseeing operations, as reported by The Economic Times.
An NDTV report said around 40 people were in the building at the time of the incident.
A video showed some people jumping to the ground from the burning building to escape the fire, the report said.
The hotel, situated in the narrow lanes of Hauz Rani, has about 25 rooms and was reportedly housing roughly 40 guests, including foreign nationals who had come to India for medical treatment. Most occupants were said to be asleep when the blaze began, reports said.
PM Modi Announces Ex-Gratia
Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered condolences to the families of the victims and announced ex-gratia payments from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund: Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 for those injured.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the state government was supporting the affected families and thanked emergency responders. “Deeply saddened by the tragic loss of lives in the devastating fire incident in Malviya Nagar. My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. I pray for the speedy recovery of those injured,” she said, and noted that teams from Delhi Fire Services, Delhi Police, DDMA and CATS Ambulance Services were quickly mobilised. She added that the government was closely monitoring the situation and providing all necessary medical assistance to those affected.
Delhi Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu also expressed sorrow, saying, “Deeply distressed by the tragic fire at a hotel in Hauz Rani, Malviya Nagar. My thoughts and condolences are with the families of the deceased, and I join all in praying for the swift recovery of those injured. Police, civil and fire rescue teams are currently on-site conducting operations. Officials have been spoken to & directed to ensure immediate medical aid, relief and a thorough investigation into this incident.”
Officials said the cause of the blaze has not yet been established and further details are awaited.
