New Delhi [India], May 3 (ANI): At least nine people were killed in a fire that broke out early Sunday morning in a four-storey building in Vivek Vihar area of Shahdara, Delhi Police said.

A PCR call regarding the incident was received at around 3:48 AM at Vivek Vihar Police Station, following which police teams, along with senior officers, rushed to the premises in Vivek Vihar Phase-I.

However, according to the Delhi Fire Service, a STOP message was received at around 8:00 AM from DO Mukesh Verma after the fire was brought under control.

The fire officials stated that the blaze involved domestic articles in at least six flats of the building. During the operation, nine charred bodies were recovered from different floors, one from the first floor, five from the second floor and three from a locked staircase. The bodies were handed over to the Delhi Police team.

As per the Delhi Police, the blaze affected flats on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th floors, and around 10-15 people were rescued, out of whom two with minor injuries were shifted to Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital.

While 12 fire tenders, along with DDMA staff, traffic personnel and local police, were deployed at the spot.

'During preliminary enquiry, it has been found that nine persons have lost their lives in the said fire incident. Fire was found in the flats situated on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th floors. During rescue and fire extinguishing operations, 10/15 persons were rescued from the building, out of whom two persons, having sustained minor injuries, were shifted to Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital for medical treatment. 12 fire tenders were at the spot with DDMA staff, traffic officials, and local police,' as per Delhi Police.

Local Municipal Councillor Pankaj Luthra said that rescue and search operations are still underway.

He said the victims were found on multiple floors of the building, and their identification is yet to be confirmed pending further investigation and DNA testing.

Speaking to ANI, Luthra said, 'Upon receiving the information, I rushed to the scene immediately. Upon arrival, I went straight upstairs. I have just come down from the upper floors... On the back side of the second floor, five bodies were found... Another body was found on the back side, and three bodies were located on the top floor... Identification is currently impossible.'

'We are still conducting further checks, but until DNA testing is performed, we will be unable to determine the gender of the victims... A total of nine bodies have been confirmed. We are still checking for others. People are attributing this to a short circuit, but nothing has been officially confirmed yet regarding the exact cause of the incident,' he further said.

Earlier, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) for Shahdara District, Rajendra Prasad Meena, said fire tenders rushed to the spot after receiving a call around 4 am and brought the blaze under control.

He added that search operations are still underway to find any remaining victims.

Speaking to ANI, Meena said, 'Fire broke out in a house in a four-story building in Vivek Vihar, with casualties on the second floor. So far, 3-4 bodies have been found, and the search for the remaining remains is ongoing. We're still searching. We'll let you know once the search is complete.'

'Early in the morning, we got a call about a fire. Fire tenders rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control. 3-4 bodies have been recovered from here. We're still searching. We got the call at around 4 AM,' Meena further said.

Further information on the incident is still awaited. (ANI)