Firefighters evacuating people after a fire broke out at a hotel in Kolkata on late Tuesday night. (PTI Photo)
Kolkata: Fifteen people, including a woman and two children, were killed in a devastating fire at a hotel in the Mechuapatti area of central Kolkata, police said on Wednesday, April 30.
Thirteen others were injured in the fire that broke out on Tuesday evening, a senior police officer said.
According to the Kolkata Police officer, the deceased include 11 men, eight of whom have been identified so far.
The condition of several of the injured is said to be critical, he said.
“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,” the officer said.
The fire was first reported around 7:30 PM. Ten fire tenders were pressed into service, and the blaze was brought under control, after nearly 10 hours, this morning on Wednesday, a fire and emergency services official said.
“There were 15 fatalities in last night’s fire. Eight of the deceased have been identified,” state minister Sujit Bose told PTI.
In the wake of the tragedy, the Kolkata Police has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the incident.
What began as a faint smell of something burning turned into a night of horror for dozens of guests. The fire was spotted around 7:30- 8 pm on Tuesday, April 29, in the crowded Burrabazar neighbourhood, quickly engulfing the six-storey budget hotel with 88 occupants in 42 rooms.
Within minutes, thick smoke spread through the corridors, blinding and choking guests who scrambled to escape.
“I was on the second floor when the power went out. I opened the door and noticed smoke coming in. People were shouting and running. I tried to knock on other doors,” said Abdul Karim, a trader from Murshidabad.
Eyewitnesses described scenes of panic and despair. Some guests were seen leaning out of windows and screaming for help.
A boy reportedly cried out for his mother before vanishing in the blaze, and one man jumped from the fourth floor to escape, fracturing his leg, the locals said.
Ten fire tenders battled the blaze for nearly ten hours, and the fire was finally brought under control on Wednesday morning.
West Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar lashed out at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, accusing her of “insensitivity” for attending a day-long inauguration programme of Jagannath Dham in Digha while the fire tragedy was unfolding in the state capital.
“Yesterday, a devastating fire in the Mechhua area of Burrabazar claimed the lives of more than 14 innocent people. Many more are battling for their lives. Yet, the chief minister chose to remain silent and continued with her religious event in Digha,” Majumdar said in a strongly worded statement.
“This exposes her lack of empathy and the failure of her administration. While helpless citizens were trapped in flames and dying in pain, the CM was busy exploiting religion for political gain. Her year-round appeasement and election-time religious posturing have once again taken precedence over governance,” he alleged
This post was last modified on April 30, 2025 2:49 pm