Overview
- Emergency teams rescued about 40 people from the multi-storey building and took them to hospitals after firefighters brought the blaze under control.
- Authorities have confirmed at least 21 fatalities and are continuing a room-by-room search of the site while identity checks of the dead are carried out.
- The building housed a restaurant and a bed-and-breakfast guesthouse, complicating evacuation and victim identification for first responders.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences and the government announced 200,000 rupees for each bereaved family as the inquiry proceeds.
- Officials say the cause remains unknown and investigators will examine factors such as escape routes, electrical systems and safety compliance that often underlie deadly urban fires in India.