The devastating fire at a hotel in South Delhi’s Malviya Nagar that claimed 21 lives has left the Aggarwal family from Gurugram shattered, with eight members across two generations losing their lives while staying near a hospital where the family’s elderly patriarch was undergoing treatment. So far, nine Indians and six foreigners have died in the inferno, whose cause is being probed, while six others are yet to be identified.
Among those killed were 48-year-old Vivek Aggarwal, his wife Tarjni Aggarwal, their daughters Jivisha alias Angel and Varya alias Pearl, and Vivek’s mother. The family, residents of Sector 46 in Gurugram, had checked into the Flourish Stay B&B to remain close to Max Hospital in Saket, where Vivek’s father, Radheshayam Aggarwal, was admitted for treatment of a lung ailment.
In his 80s, Radheshayam had been ailing for some time, and is undergoing treatment at the hospital. His family had chosen accommodation nearby to care for him. Tragically, the decision proved fatal when the fire engulfed the hotel around 8:30 am. The blaze quickly spread through the five-floor narrow building that had only one entry-exit point, permanently sealed windows and a sensor-operated main door, officials said.
Three more members of the extended family from Tarjni Aggarwal’s maternal side had also come to visit Radheshayam at Max Hospital and were staying with the family. They, too, died in the blaze, taking the family’s death toll to eight.
Tarjni’s maternal uncle, Ajay Gupta, told India Today TV that the relatives had travelled to Delhi to see the ailing Radheshayam and spend time with the family. What was meant to be a visit to support a loved one during a medical crisis ended in an unimaginable tragedy.
As relatives gathered at Max Hospital following the incident, grief and disbelief hung heavy in the air. Family members struggled to come to terms with the loss of nearly an entire branch of the family in a single night.
Perhaps the cruellest aspect of the tragedy is that Radheshayam, still undergoing treatment in the hospital, may not yet be fully aware that he has lost his wife, son, daughter-in-law and two granddaughters, along with three other relatives who had come to see him.
Meanwhile, neighbours in Gurugram remembered Vivek Aggarwal as a gentle and family-oriented man who had travelled to Delhi only to be by his father’s side during his treatment.
PRELIMINARY PROBE POINTS TO MAJOR SAFETY LAPSES
A preliminary investigation into the deadly blaze has uncovered a series of safety and regulatory lapses, including an unlicensed restaurant operating on the ground floor, a locked grill in the basement, inadequate escape routes and small windows that may have hindered evacuation efforts.
Investigators are also examining whether the hotel was functioning beyond its authorised capacity and whether the basement had sufficient access and exit arrangements as required under safety norms. The probe is further looking into the role of unauthorised commercial activities within the building and whether they heightened the fire risk.
Authorities are additionally assessing whether the hotel’s location in a congested neighbourhood, coupled with overhead electric cables surrounding the structure, hampered firefighting operations and delayed rescue efforts. The findings have raised questions over compliance with fire safety regulations and building norms at the establishment.
Investigators also found that the hotel was allegedly operating far beyond its approved capacity. While it was authorised to run only six rooms under the bed-and-breakfast policy, officials discovered 25 rooms in operation at the time of the fire.
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