At least nine people have been died and seventy others injured when a a major fire broke out on the seventh floor of Carlton Towers, a business centre housing several offices and commercial establishments, on Tuesday.

Some casualties apparently occurred when a few people jumped out of the building in panic, eyewitnesses said. Three persons were died due to fatal injuries after jumping from the top floors of the eight-storeyed building while six lost their lives due to severe burns and asphyxiation. The fire was brought under control and the building evacuated nearly two hours after it broke out at around 4.30 pm.

TV visuals showed a girl clad in a blue salwar kameez landing on the roof of the portico after jumping from the sixth floor and then falling over to the ground. Her condition was not immediately known.