At least nine people were killed after a fire broke out in a residential building in east Delhi's Vivek Vihar early on Sunday, officials said. The incident was reported at around 3.48 am at a four-storey building in Vivek Vihar Phase-I, after which police, fire, and disaster management teams rushed to the spot.
According to the police, the blaze engulfed flats on the second, third, and fourth floors of the building, prompting a large-scale rescue operation. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.
"Around 10 to 15 people were rescued from the premises during the firefighting operation. Two of them, who sustained minor injuries, were shifted to the Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital," a senior police officer said.
A total of 12 fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the flames, while teams from the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), the traffic police, and the local police assisted with rescue and evacuation efforts.
Police said the fire was brought under control after several hours. The identities of the deceased are yet to be ascertained, and efforts are underway to determine the cause of the fire, police said.
Further investigation and proceedings are underway. A resident, Rohit, said that as many as 12-15 people were rescued while 4-5 are still missing.
"A blast in the AC triggered the fire... Around 12-15 were rescued. However, 4-5 people are still missing. The fire started at around 03:13 am... Fire tenders arrived at around 3:35 am... Efforts are being made to extinguish the fire," he said.
Another resident, Charanjit Singh, said two families were still under the building, and 20 people were rescued through the window.
"More than 10 vehicles (fire tenders) arrived. The firemen rescued 20 people through the balcony... I think a couple of families are still under the building," Singh said.
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