MAN, 2 KIDS JUMP OFF BUILDING TO ESCAPE FIRE

Three members of a family, including two children, were killed when they jumped out of a balcony to escape a massive fire that broke out in their eighth and ninth-floor flat in Delhi's Dwarka area Tuesday morning, police said.

- PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

The fire started from a temple located on the eighth floor of the building and quickly spread through PVC panels, a senior police official said.

The deceased were identified as Yash Yadav (41), his daughter Ashima (12) and his nephew Shivam Yadav (11).

The family lives in the top two floors of the building. Yadav, who along with his family shifted to Delhi 10 years ago, is a native of Uttar Pradesh's Etah.

The official said that Yadav's sister, her children and sister-in-law gathered at his flat in Dwarka's Shabad Apartment in Sector 13 after attending a religious event (Bhagwat Katha). There were 12 people in the house at the time of the incident. When the fire broke out around 9.30 am, all members of the family tried to escape by going to the ninth floor through the stairs. However, Ashima and Shivam got trapped, and Yash returned to save them, police said.