The UAE has expressed its solidarity with India following a fire at a hotel in Malviya Nagar, New Delhi, which resulted in a number of deaths and injuries.
In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Mofa) expressed its sincere condolences and sympathy to the families of the victims, and to the government and people of India over this tragedy, as well as its wishes for a speedy recovery for the injured.
The fire, which ripped through the hotel, killed at least 21 people, many of them foreign nationals, according to police and local media. Indian television channels showed flames leaping from the building and thick plumes of black smoke rising into the sky. People trapped on upper floors were seen jumping onto mattresses laid out below.
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The cause of this latest fire was not immediately known. It 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.
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.
A total of 47 guests were in the hotel when the fire broke out, local lawmaker Satish Upadhyay told reporters.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the deaths tragic. “My condolences to those who have lost their loved ones,” his office said in a statement.
(With inputs from AFP)
Source: Khaleej Times