9 dead in Delhi’s Vivek Vihar building fire, AC blast suspected; over a dozen rescued

At least nine people have died, and four others have been injured in a fire that broke out in a four-storey residential building in Delhi’s Vivek Vihar in the early hours of Sunday. Prima facie, the blaze is believed to have been caused by an AC blast.

As many as 12 fire tenders were rushed to the site following information about the fire. The bodies of five of the nine people killed in the blaze were recovered from the second floor of the building, while three others were found in the staircase. The body of one other person was recovered from the first floor.

While over a dozen people have been rescued so far, it is feared that the death toll may rise further. Information about the incident was received by authorities at 3.47 am.

Following the call, police officials immediately arrived at the spot. Fire trucks also reached the scene shortly. According to the police, the fire engulfed apartments on the second, third and fourth floors of the building, prompting a large-scale rescue operation.

The exact cause of the deadly blaze is yet to be ascertained.

“Around 10 to 15 people were rescued from the premises during the firefighting operation,” a senior cop was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

Two of them sustained minor injuries and were rushed to a hospital for treatment, the official added.