A massive fire has engulfed a six-storey hotel in the Indian state of West Bengal, killing at least 15 people on Tuesday night, police said.
The blaze began at around 7.30pm at the Rituraj Hotel, located on Madanmohan Street in Kolkata’s Burrabazar area. It took hours to douse the flames, and the fire was finally brought under control by 1am local time.
Police said most of the victims died from suffocation. Several people were trapped inside the hotel as smoke filled the stairwells and corridors.
As smoke spread through the building, some guests fled to the rooftop while others clung to window ledges, according to The Indian Express. Firefighters used hydraulic ladders for rescues, and loudspeakers were used to calm those trapped inside.
One man died trying to escape by jumping from the building.
“An SIT (special investigation team) has been formed to probe the cause of the fire and to check the safety measures that were in place,” Kolkata police commissioner Manoj Kumar Verma told reporters.
He added: “The investigation will also look into the difficulties faced by the guests while evacuating from the building.”
A Kolkata police officer was quoted as saying by The Hindustan Times: “There were 88 guests in 42 rooms at the time of the incident. A boy, a girl and a woman are among the dead. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. Our forensic team will examine the site, which has been cordoned off.”
State minister Sujit Bose told PTI on Wednesday: “There were 15 fatalities in last night’s fire. Eight of the deceased have been identified.” Most victims were visitors from other states, officials said.
Photos and videos from the scene showed thick plumes of smoke rising as firefighters raced to rescue those trapped inside.
“14 bodies have been recovered and several people have been rescued,” Mr Verma said.
The BJP party’s state president for West Bengal, Sukanta Majumdar, wrote on X: “I urge the state administration to immediately rescue those affected, ensure their safety, and provide them with necessary medical and humanitarian assistance. Additionally, I appeal for a thorough review and stricter monitoring of fire safety measures to prevent such tragic incidents in the future.”
The Congress party’s local president Subhankar Sarkar told ANI: “This is a tragic incident. A fire broke out… A lot of people are still stuck in the building. There was no safety or security… I don’t know what the (local municipal) corporation is doing.”
A man identified as Sanjoy Paswan, who fell while trying to escape the fire, was declared dead on arrival at Kolkata Medical College Hospital, where several other injured victims are also being treated.
