Delhi hotel fire kills at least 17, spurs safety concerns

Delhi hotel fire kills at least 17, spurs safety concerns
A woman cries as family members hold her while waiting outside a mortuary to receive the body of her relative, who was killed in a fire at a hotel in New Delhi, India, Feb. 12, 2019.Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters
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NEW DELHI—A fire swept through a hotel in New Delhi early on Feb. 12, killing 17 people, authorities in the Indian capital said, raising fresh questions about safety standards in poorly regulated budget hotels.

Frequent raids by civic authorities to enforce building codes, fire safety measures, and evacuation procedures have failed to curb violations in a rapidly expanding city of more than 18 million people.