New Delhi: At least 17 people were killed and three injured after a fire at a hotel in Delhi's congested Karol Bagh area early this morning. A woman and a child, among those dead, were killed when they tried jumping from a window after the Karol Bagh hotel fire, reports said. More than two dozen fire engines were sent to the spot after the fire broke out at Hotel Arpit Palace around 4 am. Most people in Hotel Arpit Palace were sleeping at the time. Video recorded on cellphones by eye-witnesses showed huge flames crowning the terrace of the large, white building. A person is seen dangling from the terrace and then jumping off. Most of the deaths took place due to suffocation, the police said. Karol Bagh, in central Delhi, is popular with tourists and lined with hotels and markets. A short circuit is suspected to be the cause of the fire that broke out in Karol Bagh's Arpit Palace hotel in the early hours today, a senior civic official said.
Here are the LIVE Updates of the fire at Hotel Arpit Palace in Delhi's Karol Bagh:
Feb 12, 2019 20:19 (IST)
The manager of the hotel, Rajender, and an employee have been arrested. The case has been transferred to the crime branch.
Feb 12, 2019 18:57 (IST)
The Delhi Police has registered a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
Feb 12, 2019 17:15 (IST)
Tragedy struck a Kerala family on Tuesday when three of its members died in the fire. The family was a native of Kochi and was visiting the city to attend a wedding.
Feb 12, 2019 16:39 (IST)
Union Tourism Minister KJ Alphons has said that the emergency exits of the hotel were closed every night. "We just took a look at the emergency exits. It's all illegal. These are very narrow, not according to specifications. And they were closed at night. According to information we have, those gates are closed at night and a guard sits outside. But we don't know if the guard was there or not," Mr Alphons told reporters.
Feb 12, 2019 15:37 (IST)
Tara Ram, a cook, is among the dead. He is survived by 4 children, who are between the age of 5-10 years of age. He had been working at the hotel for two years.
Feb 12, 2019 13:20 (IST)
The head of forensic department of RML Hospital said that four of the 13 bodies that reached the Delhi hospital after fire broke out at a hotel in Karol Bagh were burnt beyond recognisation. "It will take time to identify them. Till now 5 bodies have been identified, in which two are females and 3 are males," Yogesh Tyagi told news agency ANI.
Feb 12, 2019 12:49 (IST)
Delhi's home minister Satyendra Jain told NDTV that buildings in the national capital can only be constructed up to four floors. Hotel Arpit Palace that caught fire today has six floors.
Feb 12, 2019 12:47 (IST)
Most of the residents were sleeping at the time the fire broke out in the early hours of Tuesday. It is estimated some 120 people were inside the building, built around 25 years ago, according to the hotel's website.
Feb 12, 2019 12:18 (IST)
The hotel was first granted a licence in October 2005 and was renewed every year. The last renewal was done on May 25, 2018 and was valid till March 31.
Feb 12, 2019 12:18 (IST)
The fire, which killed at least 17 people, initially broke out in the second floor of the building, an North Delhi Municipal Corporation official said.
Feb 12, 2019 11:32 (IST)
The woman and the child died as they tried to escape by jumping from a window of Hotel Arpit Palace in a congested part of central Delhi's Karol Bagh that engulfed the entire top floor. "The top two floors of the hotel were constructed illegally," Delhi minister Satyendar Jain said.