7 killed as fire breaks out in shanties in northeast Delhi: Officials

Seven people were killed after a fire broke out in shanties in northeast Delhi's Gokulpuri area in the early hours of Saturday, officials said.

A senior official of the Delhi Fire Services said information regarding the blaze near pillar number 12 of Gokulpuri village was received at 1.03 am.

Thirteen fire-tenders were rushed to the spot, he said, adding that the blaze was finally brought under control around 4 am.

Seven charred bodies were recovered from the site, the official said.

Around 60 shanties were affected and 30 of those gutted in the fire, he added.

Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (northeast) Devesh Kumar Mahla said information about the blaze was received around 1 am, following which police and fire officials rushed to the spot.

The reason behind the fire is yet to be ascertained, police said, adding that teams from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) at Rohini also visited the spot. Some people received minor injuries in the incident, police said. Appropriate legal action will be taken in the matter, they added.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal expressed grief over the incident.

''Heard the sad news early in the morning. I will go to the spot and meet those affected personally,'' he said in a tweet in Hindi.