At least 21 people, mostly foreign nationals, were killed and dozens of others rescued after a massive fire tore through a hotel in South Delhi’s Malviya Nagar on Wednesday morning.
The fire broke out at around 8:50 AM in the basement restaurant of the Micasa Inn, a five-storey bed-and-breakfast hotel located in the narrow lanes of the Hauz Rani area.
The hotel comprises approximately 25 rooms and was accommodating around 40 guests at the time of the incident. Many of the guests were foreign nationals who had travelled to India for medical treatment. Officials stated that most of the victims were caught off guard as they were still sleeping when the fire erupted.
Emergency teams—including the Delhi Fire Services, Delhi Police, and disaster management units—were rushed to the scene. Firefighters deployed water engines and specialized rescue vehicles to extract trapped guests, some of whom were seen jumping from windows to escape the flames.
The exact cause of the fire is still under investigation. However, Kesar Singh, a chef at the hotel restaurant, recalled attempting to switch on an electric stove around 8:00 AM, which caused a sudden flare-up of flames. Singh and his assistant managed to escape just as the fire rapidly engulfed the rest of the building.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences, calling the loss of lives "tragic." The Prime Minister’s Office announced an ex-gratia payment of ₹2 lakh (200,000 INR) for the families of the deceased and ₹50,000 for those injured.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta also expressed deep sadness over the incident, confirming that emergency services were mobilized instantly. "Our teams launched immediate rescue operations, which helped evacuate several people.
The Delhi government is closely monitoring the situation to ensure all necessary medical support is extended to the families," she said.
