Opinion Forty Years Ago: 38 killed in Delhi fire
Within hours, the glittering luxury hotel became a dark house of death. Two persons were burnt alive — a Chinese cook and a steward. The rest were asphyxiated.
The fire that started mysteriously in the banquet hall of the hotel at about 1.30 am raged up three floors of the 11-storey hotel before it was declared under control at 7.05 am. But there was enough smoke to kill guests on almost every floor above. Delhi hotel fire kills 38
Thirty-eight persons, mostly foreigners, died in a fire that blazed through the Siddharth Continental Hotel in South Delhi. Within hours, the glittering luxury hotel became a dark house of death. Two persons were burnt alive — a Chinese cook and a steward. The rest were asphyxiated. Forty-six others were injured, among about 125 rescued as they groped and gasped in hot clouds of suffocating smoke. The fire that started mysteriously in the banquet hall of the hotel at about 1.30 am raged up three floors of the 11-storey hotel before it was declared under control at 7.05 am. But there was enough smoke to kill guests on almost every floor above. Most died on the topmost floors, beyond the reach of a crippled fire brigade.The fire had become a conflagration before the fire brigade arrived. A hotel guest informed the fire brigade at 2.12 am, more than half an hour after the fire had started. Within a few minutes, the fire was out of control.
President, PM express grief
President Zail Singh and Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi expressed their shock and distress over the loss of lives in the major fire in the Siddharth Continental Hotel. Both the President and the Prime Minister offered their heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families.
L-G orders probe
The Lt Governor, H L Kapoor, ordered a judicial inquiry into the fire in the Siddharth Continental. The commission will submit its inquiry within a month.
Kiwis beat India
India slipped to the bottom of the standings in the triangular one-day World Series Cup Cricket Championship after losing to New Zealand by five wickets in a day-and-night match in Melbourne. India scored 238 for eight in their 50 overs after being put to bat. New Zealand crossed the score with one ball of their 50 overs remaining.
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