AT LEAST 20 people have died in a devastating fire that ripped through a restaurant in India.

Emergency services rushed multiple fire engines to the scene in the busy Malviya Nagar neighbourhood in Delhi at around 9.45am on Wednesday.

A total of 37 people were rescued from the multistorey building and taken to hospital for treatment.

The restaurant was operating on the ground floor of the building, sub-divisional magistrate Jitendra Kumar said.

As the flames raged through the building, people jumped from the floors above.

Jitendra said they were saved by mattresses laid on the roads by locals.

Dramatic footage showed a woman leaping from the first floor to escape the flames and thick smoke.

Two water tenders, two water bowsers, a quick response vehicle and firefighting units battled to contain the blaze, officials said.

Victims have not yet been identified by police and it remains unclear whether foreign nationals were among the 20 killed in the fire.

Somnath Bharti, a former lawmaker from the constituency, claimed on X that “majorly South African nationals” were found dead.

This is yet to be confirmed by officials.

The cause of the fire remains unclear at this time as investigations continue.

Images from the scene show the building completely gutted by the blaze, with debris scattered across the floor.

Jitendra said: “The exact cause of the fire is still not known, but it is most likely that the blaze originated from the restaurant.”

It comes just weeks after people were left trapped in a packed Thailand hotel after a huge fire broke out.

Chaos erupted at the JA Plus Hotel, in the popular tourist trap Pattaya, as the blaze rapidly spread from its roof top.

The fire service said: “There were many people trapped in the building.

“Firefighters were on the way to rescue.”

Emergency services said a number of tourists have been evacuated.

Witnesses described scenes of confusion and fear as guests fled through smoke-filled corridors.

Four victims, including two women and a boy, were treated by paramedics for smoke inhalation, authorities said.

The fourth victim, a man, suffered serious burns after running through the flames to safety, Pattaya Mail reports.

Rescue workers and medical teams rushed all four victims to nearby hospitals for treatment.

Authorities said hotel staff initially tried to contain the fire with extinguishers but it spread too quickly.

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