In the wake of the deadly fire in Delhi’s Malviya Nagar, an FIR has been filed on charges of murder, officials said on Wednesday. At least 21 people were killed in a fire at a bed and breakfast on Wednesday.
According to officials, about 18 of the deceased were identified as foreign nationals. People familiar with the matter told HT that the citizens were from Nigeria, Mozambique, Bangladesh, Somalia, Liberia and Afghanistan.
The fire broke out at Flourish Stay B&B in Hauz Rani, a busy area in Malviya Nagar, on Wednesday morning.
The dead and wounded were transferred to nearby hospitals.
“The guilty will not escape.”
Speaking about the incident, Delhi Energy Minister Ashish Sood said that an investigation will be launched to look into the cause of the fire.
Sood stressed that if it is proven that the building owner is responsible for negligence, he will be arrested.
“The owner of the building responsible for the negligence will be arrested soon. We will not spare any illegal building or those found guilty. The guilty will not be spared. We are investigating whether the building has obtained a no-objection certificate and whether the required permission to operate a BnB has been obtained,” Sood told reporters.
Read also | Desperate leaps, no ventilation: How fire spread at south Delhi BnB and suffocated to death 21 people, including foreigners
What caused the fire?
According to initial reports, the fire is suspected to have been caused by a cylinder explosion. However, as the investigation into the fire continues, officials suspect an electrical fault was the cause of the fire. Officials previously said the fire broke out around 8:30 a.m. at the nearby Lemon Green restaurant, but police later clarified that it broke out in the hotel building.
The building consists of a basement, ground floor and five upper floors. The restaurant was operating on the ground floor, while the rest of the building was being used as a hotel, fire officer AK Malik told news agency PTI.
