Mundka fire: Scenes of death and despair, many jump from building to escape blaze

Tragic scenes were witnessed in outer Delhi's Mundka where a massive fire engulfed a building, killing at least 27 people, and forcing many to jump off the windows or use ropes to slide down to safety.

As many as 27 people died and 12 got injured as a massive blaze broke out at the four-storey commercial building in Mundka, police said.

The fire started from the first floor and spread to the other floors, they said.

In videos that emerged on the social media, people could be heard crying for help while others were seen jumping from the building in a desperate attempt to escape the flames.

There were videos where people could be seen using ropes to escape the building from where thick black smoke was coming out. Locals were also seen providing them help in reaching to safety.

Some survivors also used a narrow space in the building to climb down.

The police said some people were injured while trying to escape and were shifted to the hospital.

In order to rescue those who were trapped, the fire department deployed cranes while police officials broke the windows of the building to help the people.

Following a six-hour long firefighting operation, the blaze was brought under control. Police, fire department and NDRF teams were involved in the rescue work. The fire department is currently carrying out cooling operations.

Mundka is close to the Delhi-Haryana border. In the night, traffic snarls started in the area with the entry of trucks.

The police, however, did not specify other details like the gender or age of the deceased.

Delhi Chief Fire Service Officer Atul Garg said no firefighter was injured in the operation.