BS RAWAT
NEW DELHI: It was chaos in the mortuaries of various hospitals in New Delhi on February 12, 2019. Fearing the worst, relatives of victims made a beeline to the mortuaries as social media flashed the news that the charred bodies were being brought to RML, Lady Hardinge and Sir Ganga Ram hospitals from a charred hotel in Karol Bagh locality of the national capital.

At least 17 people were killed in the fire that broke out early in the morning in Hotel Arpit Palace in Karol Bagh, Delhi, on February 12, 2019. The fire was brought under control around 7 am.

Some of the dead could not be identified and this added to the confusion and anxiety of the relatives. Many names in the guest list did not figure either in the list of the dead or the injured. Mobiles were either switched off or unreachable, adding to the agony.

Several ambulances from Karol Bagh, each carrying bodies, reached the mortuaries. Many police officials were deployed in and around the mortuaries. Barricades were erected to make way for ambulances.