Kolkata hotel fire kills 9 Bangladeshis
Collected Photo
A devastating fire claimed the lives of at least nine Bangladeshis, including a child, at a hotel in Kolkata, India on Wednesday.
The fire erupted around 2 am on Free School Street near New Market, one of the city’s most crowded areas, trapping numerous guests inside the building.
News agency ANI reported that all nine victims had traveled from Bangladesh to Kolkata for medical treatment. While authorities have yet to confirm the exact cause, initial reports suggest an air-conditioner explosion may have triggered the blaze.
Upon receiving news of the emergency, four fire tenders and a disaster management team rushed to the scene to launch a rescue operation. Firefighters struggled to reach the upper floors due to the heavy smoke filling the building.
A police officer told news agency PTI, “The dense smoke made it difficult for firefighters to climb the staircase and reach the upper floors. While nine people have died, more deaths are feared.” After a rigorous effort, the rescue teams evacuated those trapped and brought the flames under control.
The police officer said, “Our priority is to rescue those trapped and determine the reasons for the fire. The flames have been doused, and the cooling process is underway.”
This tragedy in Kolkata occurred only two days after another deadly fire at a hotel in West Bengal’s Birbhum district. On 17 August, a blaze at Hotel Bideshini in Tarapith killed at least eight people and left several others injured.
That fire started around 4:30 am on the ground floor of the five-storey hotel located near the Tarapith temple and the holy pond while most guests were asleep. The deceased included five members of a single family from Meghalaya, among them two children.
The family, who stayed on the top floor, encountered the flames as they attempted to escape down the stairs. First responders transported the injured to Rampurhat Government Medical College and Hospital for medical care.
Source: NDTV (adapted)
