NEW DELHI: A fire ripped through a hotel in New Delhi on Wednesday, killing at least 21 people, many of them foreign nationals, police and local media said.
Building fires are common in India due to a lack of firefighting equipment and routine disregard for safety regulations.
The fire broke out in the morning at Flourish Stay, a bed-and-breakfast in a congested neighbourhood in the south of the city, Delhi Police said in a statement.
“It is with profound sorrow that 21 persons have been declared dead in this tragic incident,” police said.
Several of those killed were foreigners, mainly from Central Asia and Africa, the Press Trust of India news agency reported, quoting unnamed officials.
Many of them had come to the city for medical treatment, according to local media reports.
Authorities said more than 40 people were taken to hospitals for treatment. Eight were in a critical condition, according to a statement by a nearby hospital.
Indian television channels showed flames leaping from the building and thick plumes of black smoke rising into the sky.
