Over twenty people were killed, including foreigners and several others injured on Wednesday morning after a massive fire broke out at Lemon Green Restaurant in south Delhi's Malviya Nagar, officials said.
Delhi Fire Services received a call at 9:45 am, with multiple fire tenders rushed to the spot around 8:50 am. Three people were rescued from the restaurant's basement by fire service personnel and shifted to hospital via CATS ambulances.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the deaths and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the next of kin of each deceased, and Rs 50,000 for the injured.
DCP South Anant Mittal said, "Today, at 08:48 AM, information was received regarding a fire at Flourish Stay B&B, Malviya Nagar. Local police staff immediately reached the spot and commenced rescue, evacuation, and relief operations. The fire has been successfully extinguished with the assistance of 8 fire tenders. Through the coordinated efforts of Police, Fire Services, and other emergency responders, more than 40 persons have been rescued and shifted to nearby hospitals for medical treatment."
He added that rescue and search operations are still underway, and all concerned agencies remain deployed at the spot to ensure every possible assistance to those affected.
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta expressed grief over the incident, saying the government stood with the affected families. "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.
