'There Was Absolutely No Way Out': Residents Describe Horror Of Malviya Nagar Blaze - VIDEO

Heartbreaking accounts have emerged from survivors, rescuers and distraught family members following the devastating fire at a hotel in Delhi's Malviya Nagar that killed at least 21 people, most of them foreign nationals.

Residents living near the building described scenes of panic as trapped guests screamed for help while flames rapidly engulfed lower floors, cutting off escape routes.

Mansoor, who lives directly opposite the hotel, said locals rushed to assist after hearing desperate cries from inside the building. According to him, the hotel's electronic entrance gate automatically locked at night and became unusable after the fire caused a power outage.

"We could hear people shouting 'Help, help' from inside," he said. "The fire had spread across the ground and first floors, trapping people on the upper floors. There was absolutely no way out."

Mansoor said residents broke windows using bricks and stones and later gathered mattresses from nearby hotels to cushion the fall of people attempting to jump from upper floors. He recalled a dramatic rescue in which a woman tried to descend using a rope stretched from a nearby building.

"The rope slipped, but she landed on the mattresses and survived," he said.

Another local resident, Wasim Raja from Hauz Rani village, said villagers were among the first responders at the scene.

"We took mattresses from a nearby damaged shop and spread them on the road so people could jump safely," he said. "Several foreign nationals were pulled out unconscious. Villagers, fire personnel and police worked together to rescue many people. We suffered injuries from broken glass during the operation."

Sher Khan, another eyewitness, described the worsening situation as flames intensified.

"People from the third floor jumped onto mattresses with a small child. One woman said she had fractured her leg. The public made every possible effort, but the fire kept getting worse," he said.

As rescue operations continued, anguish gripped hospitals where relatives searched for missing loved ones. One family member alleged that authorities were providing little information about victims' whereabouts.

"We do not know where our loved ones are. We are very frustrated," the relative said.

Another woman said her 42-year-old daughter, Tarini Agarwal, and two granddaughters, aged 20 and 17, were missing. "The police called us, but the hospital administration is not telling us anything," she said.

The tragedy has left behind stories of bravery, desperation and grief as authorities continue efforts to identify victims and determine the cause of the blaze.