India, June 4 -- When Delhi Fire Services (DFS) personnel finally forced their way into the smoke-filled Hauz Rani building on Wednesday, they encountered scenes of devastation. Among the dead was a couple found inside a locked washroom on the first floor - the woman seated on a toilet and the man beside her, appearing to hold her in an embrace as they waited for a rescue that never arrived.

The heartbreaking discovery was one of many made by firefighters battling through thick smoke, flames and a series of obstacles that officials said complicated efforts to save those trapped inside the building, where a fire killed 21 people.

Fire officials said the rescue operation began under difficult conditions. The building's basement entrance w...