Police in India have arrested the owner of a hotel in New Delhi where a fire killed 21 people, as authorities investigate possible safety lapses behind the tragedy.
Hotel owner Lavkesh Bajaj was arrested late on Wednesday, just hours after the blaze swept through the building. The fire claimed the lives of at least nine Indian nationals and several foreign guests.
Authorities have so far identified two foreign victims — one from Liberia and another from Mozambique.
Fires in buildings remain a recurring problem in India, often linked to inadequate firefighting facilities and violations of safety regulations.
The fire engulfed the Flourish Stay hotel in a densely populated area of the capital. People trapped on upper floors were seen jumping onto mattresses placed below in desperate attempts to escape.
Several people suffered severe burns, while others sustained fractures after leaping from the building. Rescue teams took the injured to nearby hospitals for treatment.
In a separate incident on Thursday morning, at least four people died after a fire broke out in an intensive care unit of a hospital in Muzaffarpur, in the eastern Indian state of Bihar.
District official Subrat Kumar Sen confirmed the deaths.
