India, June 3 -- A fire erupted at a restaurant in south Delhi's Malviya Nagar on Wednesday, triggering a large-scale rescue operation by the Delhi Fire Services (DFS), Delhi Police said. A total of 18 people have lost their lives so far in the fire incident.

People trapped on the upper floors of the building jumped onto mattresses laid out by local residents as a massive fire engulfed the restaurant operating on the ground floor, said South District SDM and DDMA official Jitendra Kumar.

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Kumar said emergency teams were mobilised immediately after receiving information about the incident. Rescue workers evacuated several occupants from the building, while locals assisted by placing mattresses on...