At least 18 foreign nationals are among the dead after a fire ripped through a hotel in Delhi, killing 21 people.The fire marks one of the capital's worst such incidents since 2022.People trapped by the inferno in South Delhi's Malviya Nagar resorted to jumping from the multi-storey building. Local residents quickly mobilised, dragging mattresses from a nearby shop to cushion falls. "People spread mattresses, and a woman from the third floor jumped on it with a little kid," Sher Khan said. Another resident, Wasim Raja, added: "There is a mattress shop here ... We took the mattresses from there and laid them on the road to help those who were jumping out of the building." The site of the hotel fire that killed at least 21 people in New Delhi on June 3, 2026 (AFP via Getty Images)Television footage showed two people leaping from an upper floor as smoke billowed from the building.The victims who died in the fire included people from Bangladesh, Nigeria, Mozambique, and Liberia, according to reports.Local media reported that some victims may have travelled to Delhi for medical treatment. FIRE MAY HAVE STARTED IN RESTAURANTThe blaze, believed to have originated on the ground and first floors, trapping those on higher levels, broke out before 9 am. The inferno was brought under control around midday. Police said more than 40 persons had been rescued and taken to hospitals for medical treatment. The department said it was with "profound sorrow that 21 persons have been declared dead in this tragic incident." A spokesperson for the All India Institute of Medical Sciences reported 13 patients received, two of whom remain critical.Investigations are underway to determine the exact cause, though local administration official Jitendra Kumar suggested the fire "most likely" started in a ground-floor restaurant. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences on X, stating that "Authorities are providing all possible assistance to those affected."