17 die as fire breaks in a fully occupied hotel in New Delhi

An enormous blaze broke out at a fully occupied hotel in central New Delhi on Tuesday morning, killing at least 17 people, officials said.

The fire started before dawn, around 4 a.m., and investigators were uncertain about the cause. As flames curled off the roof of the five-story hotel, lighting up the night sky, some desperate guests leapt out of their windows.

The hotel is called the Arpit Palace and rooms go for about $45 a night. The Indian news media reported that just about all 65 rooms had been occupied.

via NYT and NDTV