NEW DELHI (AP) — A fire swept through a building in a New Delhi neighborhood Wednesday, killing at least 18 people and injuring several others, news agency Press Trust of India reported.
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The building in the Malviya Nagar neighborhood in the southern part of the city had a restaurant on the ground floor and residential units above.
Some of the victims were foreign nationals who had traveled to India for medical treatment, local media reported.
Fire crews rescued 37 people from the building, fire official Abhilash Malik said.
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The fire was extinguished, but how it started was not immediately clear.
Four bodies were recovered from the site, Jitendra Kumar, a senior administrative official, said.
Images from the scene showed firefighters trying to douse the blaze as thick smoke billowed from the building. Local residents also joined rescue efforts, helping evacuate people trapped inside and carrying some of the injured to safety.
Fires are common in India, where building laws and safety norms are often flouted by builders and residents.
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