Twenty-one people were killed and several injured on Wednesday when a massive fire broke out in a restaurant in south Delhi's Malviya Nagar, officials said. Three people were rescued from the basement of the Lemon Green Restaurant, an official of the Delhi Fire Service said. Many of those killed are foreigners.

Multiple fire tenders were rushed to control the blaze around 8.50 am.

They were shifted to a hospital by CATS ambulances for medical treatment. Their condition was not immediately known. So far, several people have been rescued in the operation, while nearly 40 people are believed to have been inside the five-storey building when the fire broke out.

Located in the narrow lanes of Hauz Rani, the hotel had a restaurant in its basement and used to house foreign nationals.

AAP leader Somnath Bharti, says, "Overall, the situation has been extremely tragic and horrific. Some people are still trapped in the upper rooms. This building was operating as a hotel, it was previously a Khadi Gram building."

"The most unfortunate part is that the fire brigade reached the spot nearly an hour later, at least 50 minutes after the incident was reported," the AAP leader said.

Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta on Wednesday expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives in the devastating fire in a post on X(formerly Twitter)

"My heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. I pray for the speedy recovery of those injured and for strength & courage to all those affected by this heartbreaking tragedy. Immediately upon receiving information about the incident, teams of Delhi Fire Services, Delhi Police, DDMA, CATS Ambulance Services and other emergency response agencies were mobilised and launched rescue and relief operations," she said.

"In this hour of grief, Delhi Government stands firmly with the affected families. We remain committed to providing every possible support to those impacted by this tragedy," Gupta said.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday condoled the loss of lives in the fire incident in Malviya Nagar here and urged the state government to provide adequate and timely compensation, including prompt medical care to those injured.

At least 21 people were killed on Wednesday when a massive fire broke out in a restaurant in south Delhi's Malviya Nagar, officials said.

Three people were rescued from the basement of the Lemon Green Restaurant, an official of the Delhi Fire Service said.

In a post on X, Kharge said, "Deeply saddened by the tragic fire incident in Malviya Nagar, Delhi. My heartfelt condolences to the families who lost their loved ones and prayers for the speedy recovery of the injured."

The state government authorities should provide adequate and timely compensation, including prompt medical care to the victims, Kharge said.

"I urge Congress workers to extend every possible help and support to the victims in this difficult time," the Congress chief said.

The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. Further details are awaited.