KOLKATA — Nine Bangladeshi nationals, including a child, were killed and several others injured when a fire swept through a residential hotel near Kolkata’s New Market early Wednesday, according to police and fire service officials.
The victims were staying at Shikha Inn on Mirza Ghalib Street after traveling to Kolkata for medical treatment, according to Kolkata Police. The dead included six men, two women and a child. Eight people were reported injured.
The fire broke out in the early hours of Aug. 19 at the hotel, located in a busy central Kolkata neighborhood frequented by Bangladeshi visitors. Thick smoke quickly filled the building, making it difficult for guests to escape and hampering firefighters trying to reach people trapped on the upper floors.
Police, firefighters and disaster management personnel were deployed for the rescue operation. The injured were taken to Kolkata Medical College Hospital and other hospitals for treatment.
A police officer told Indian news agency PTI that dense smoke inside the building made it extremely difficult for firefighters to climb the stairs and reach people trapped upstairs.
“Our main priority is to rescue those trapped and determine the cause of the fire,” the officer said during the emergency operation. “The fire has been extinguished, and cooling operations are now underway.”
Victims had traveled to Kolkata for treatment
The victims were among Bangladeshis who had traveled to Kolkata for medical care.
Kolkata Police said all nine people killed were Bangladeshi nationals, while local fire service officials also confirmed their nationality. They had been staying at Shikha Inn while receiving medical treatment in the city.
The hotel is on Mirza Ghalib Street near New Market, an area familiar to Bangladeshi travelers because of its hotels, restaurants, shops and proximity to transportation and medical facilities.
Initial reports did not provide the identities or home districts of the Bangladeshi victims.
West Bengal Fire Services Minister Kaushik Chowdhury visited the scene and said authorities were working to establish the identities of those killed and injured.
“We are trying to identify the casualties. The situation inside the building is horrific,” Chowdhury told PTI after inspecting the scene. He said several hotels were operating in the same building and expressed concern over the conditions there.
Cause of fire under investigation
The exact cause of the fire had not been established.
Initial reports suggested that an air-conditioning unit may have exploded, while authorities were also examining the possibility of an electrical short circuit. Chowdhury said the cause could be determined only after a forensic investigation.
Authorities are also investigating whether the hotel complied with mandatory fire and building safety regulations.
The fire services minister said preliminary observations indicated that basic safety and construction regulations had not been followed and that there appeared to have been several irregularities in the operation of the hotel.
Recent Indian reporting also cited narrow exits and inadequate ventilation as factors that complicated evacuation from the building.
Police said the owner of the building was absconding. A case was being filed at New Market Police Station, while officers had begun legal proceedings and conducted a raid at the owner’s residence as part of efforts to locate him.
Second deadly West Bengal hotel fire in three days
Wednesday’s disaster was the second deadly hotel fire in West Bengal within three days, raising questions over fire safety at hotels across the state.
On Monday, a fire broke out at Hotel Bideshini near the Tarapith temple in Birbhum district. At least eight people were initially reported killed in the blaze, while several others were injured. The fire began on the ground floor early in the morning when most guests were asleep.
Authorities initially suspected an electrical short circuit.
Following the Tarapith fire, local authorities launched inspections of hotels in the pilgrimage town. At least 15 hotels were ordered closed for failing to meet mandatory safety requirements, including fire safety regulations.
The two deadly fires within days of each other have put fire safety arrangements at West Bengal hotels under increased scrutiny.
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