PM condoles deaths in fire incidents in Indore, Delhi; announces ex gratia

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (March 18, 2026) expressed deep sorrow over the fire incidents in Indore and in Delhi’s Palam and announced an ex gratia of ₹2 lakh from the PM National Relief Fund for the next of kin of each deceased and ₹50,000 for those injured.

A total of 17 people were killed in the two incidents which took place on Wednesday (March 18, 2026).

The Prime Minister expressed condolences to those who lost their loved ones and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.

“Deeply pained by the loss of lives in a fire mishap in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured. An ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given ₹50,000,” he said in a post on ‘X’.

In another post, PM Modi said, “The fire incident in Palam, Delhi, is saddening. I extend my condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest. An ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given ₹50,000,” he said. In Indore, eight members of a family were killed when a fire broke out in a three-storey house after an explosion at an electric vehicle (EV) charging point outside the building early on Wednesday (March 18, 2026).

In another incident, nine members of a family, including a 70-year-old woman and three of her granddaughters, were killed after a massive fire tore through a multi-storey residential building in southwest Delhi’s Palam area on Wednesday (March 18, 2026) morning.