+CLIENTS PLEASE NOTE: MANDATORY CREDIT NIHAR SHAH/AATIF SUMAR+

Fourteen people were killed in a massive fire at a rooftop pub in Mumbai's posh Kamala Mills compound late on Thursday night.

The fire started at an eatery and spread to nearby restaurants and offices.

A majority of those killed were women who had come for a birthday party at the rooftop restaurant 1 Above.

Khushboo Mehta, 28, who was celebrating her birthday, was among the victims.

Firefighters took more than three hours to douse the huge flames that engulfed Mumbai's nightlife hub.

A Mumbai executive Nihar Shah was sitting with a group of 12 friends when the fire started at Mojo Bistrow, a restaurant one floor below 1 Above.

He said: “The fire started small but escalated quickly to engulf the cloth that had been used to cover the roof.”

The establishment had neglected to take adequate fire safety measures, he alleged. “It was hard to find the fire exit and three of my friends took the lift,” he said.

“When the exit was found it was too narrow and a crowd of 55 to 60 people had to make a queue to get down,” he said.

Aatif Sumar, who was passing by the area, said he saw the rooftop pub in flames and people, covered in soot, running for safety.

S Jay Kumar, a senior Mumbai police officer said he would not speculate on the cause of fire. "It is only after investigation, we will be able to say anything," he said.

Doctors said the victims had died of suffocation.

Fourteen people were killed in a massive fire at a rooftop pub in Mumbai
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Video credit: Nihar Shah/Aatif Sumar