Thiruvananthapuram

The Kerala Assembly on Thursday paid tribute to 21 people who died in the devastating fire at a hotel in south Delhi's Malviya Nagar area a day ago.

Assembly Speaker Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishan at the start of the House proceedings at 9 AM referred to the incident and said that of the 21 who died, 12 were foreigners.

He said that the House condoles the deaths and prays for the quick recovery of those who were injured in the fire.

The MLAs also stood up in the Assembly and observed a brief silence to pay homage to those who died in the fire.

The fire at the Flourish Stay B&B in Hauz Rani in Malviya Nagar started around 8.30 am and quickly spread through the five-floor narrow building that had only one entry-exit point, permanently sealed windows and a sensor-operated main door -- factors which combined to turn the building into a virtual death trap. Many of those in the hotel were caught unawares as some were asleep.

At least 58 people were rescued and rushed to hospitals, where 21 were declared brought dead, officials said.

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The dead include nine Indians, eight of them from an extended family.

Many of the casualties are from Central Asian and African countries. They were staying in the hotel to attend to their kin admitted in Max Hospital minutes away.