A 24-year-old youth suffocated to death on Thursday while three of his friends sustained injuries after a fire broke out in a three-storey building here.

The incident occurred around 4.30 a.m., when they were sleeping in their second-floor room in Sant Nagar in Burari area of north Delhi.

"Four fire tenders were rushed to the spot to douse the fire. Out of the four, three -- Vineet, Surender and Abhishek -- managed to run downstairs while the victim, identified as Sandeep, 24, escaped towards the terrace but the door was closed," a senior police officer told .

The students were from Uttar Pradesh and preparing for competitive examinations.

The fire was caused by a short circuit.

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