Seven people were charred to death in a fire that broke out in the shanties of the Gokulpuri village in the national capital, the Delhi Fire Service department said.

The fire incident occurred at around 1 AM today. According to the Delhi Fire Service department, a call about the fire incident was received at 1:03 AM, from Gokulpuri village in northeast Delhi, following which 13 fire tenders were rushed to the spot to douse the blaze.

According to Delhi Police, forensic teams also rushed to the spot of the incident and will conduct tests and give details in this regard.

Both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal have expressed grief over the fire incident.

In a tweet, the Prime Minister said, “The fire incident in Delhi’s Gokulpuri is heart-wrenching. I express my deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in this accident. May God give them the strength to bear this immense sorrow.”

Kejriwal visited the site of the fire incident. He assured victims of all possible support from the government. The Delhi Chief Minister reached Gokulpuri at around 2 PM to meet the families of the victims. During this, high ranking officials of the Delhi Government also accompanied him.

Kejriwal, after meeting the families of the victims of the fire mishap in Gokulpuri, said, “I learnt about the fire incident. Due to the fire, many jhuggis here have been destroyed and seven people have also lost their lives. I offer my deepest condolences to all the victims’ families.

I am very sad that the homes of so many people got burnt in the arson. A poor man builds his jhuggi with great difficulty. It is very sad if someone dies in this circumstance. I pray to God to give peace to those who have died.”

He added, “We cannot compensate for your loss, but the people who have died will be given financial help. The families of adults who have died will be given financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh each by the Delhi government and financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh each will be given to the families of children who have died. At the same time, 25,000 rupees will be given by the Delhi government to the families of those whose jhuggis have been burnt. We will try to release the amount in a day or two so that the families of the victims can get immediate relief.”

Kejriwal in a tweet said, “The fire mishap that took place at Gokulpuri is very unfortunate. I reached the spot and met the victims, lots of lives and homes have been lost today. The Delhi Government will give Rs 10 lakh to the families of the deceased, Rs 5 lakh to the families of the deceased children and Rs 25,000 to those whose houses have been burnt.”