A father and son who helped save people from a deadly hotel fire in India by laying mattresses from their shop on the street are being hailed as heroes on social media.
The blaze at the Flourish Stay bed and breakfast in Delhi’s Malviya Nagar area on Wednesday killed 21 people, including 18 foreigners, and injured dozens.
As thick smoke engulfed the hotel, several guests were trapped on the upper floors. Some of them smashed the glass windows of their rooms and called for help as they searched for ways to escape.
Riyazuddin Mansuri and Armaan Mansuri, who run a mattress shop nearby, rushed to help. They emptied their store, spreading mattresses and quilts on the street below to cushion the fall of guests forced to jump from windows.
“People on the upper floors were shouting and asking if they should jump. I immediately brought out 20 to 25 quilts and mattresses from the shop and spread them outside the building,” Armaan Mansuri said on Wednesday. “At least eight people jumped onto them and survived.”
His father Riyazuddin Mansuri told India Today: “We also provided sheets to cover the bodies.”
Earlier, Wasim Raja, a man who lived in the area, had said: “There is a mattress shop here … We took the mattresses from there and laid them on the road to help those who were jumping out of the building.”
“We suffered a loss of more than Rs200,000 ($2,300). We gave away everything, mattresses, quilts, bedsheets, whatever material was available,” Armaan Mansuri told The Times of India. “The injured and even some bodies were brought out using our bedsheets.”
According to local reports, at least 58 people were rescued from the five-storey building and taken to hospitals for treatment.
He said the government “should compensate those who stepped forward during the rescue”.
The family received widespread praise online after it emerged that their quick thinking had helped save multiple lives during the chaotic evacuation.
“He earned highest of my respect,” an X user wrote, adding that he hoped “people learn from tragedies and do not construct death traps like this which endanger people’s lives”.
“The government should honour these mattress shop owners and reimburse full costs to them immediately,” another said.
One user praised the traders remarking: “This (is) what personal/collective responsibility looks like. A hero!”
Another asked the Delhi government to give compensation and reward the family for the “benevolent act”.
“Massive respect for this guy,” one user posted. “Hats off.”
The victims who died in the fire included people from Bangladesh, Nigeria, Mozambique, and Liberia, according to reports.
Investigations are underway to determine the exact cause of the blaze, which is believed to have originated on the ground and first floors, trapping those on higher levels. The fire broke out before 9am and was brought under control around midday.
India’s foreign minister is in contact with relevant embassies to provide assistance, and the Delhi government has announced a compensation of Rs1m for the families of each deceased victim.