8 Bangladeshis killed in Kolkata hotel fire

At least nine persons, including eight Bangladeshi nationals, have been killed and six others injured in a devastating fire that broke out at a hotel in central Kolkata early Wednesday, an official at the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata confirmed, citing local fire officials.

The fire broke out at about 2:00am on Wednesday, said the official, citing that Hotel Shikhali, located on Mirza Ghalib Street near the New Market area, is a common bed-and-breakfast accommodation site for Bangladeshis travelling to India for medical treatment, according to media reports.

The official said the mission was awaiting police confirmation of the victims’ identities. Of those killed in the fire, the identity of one Indian could be confirmed, while the rest of the victims are believed to be Bangladeshi, according to an official at the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission.

Among the Bangladeshis, the authorities could confirm the identities of five, including four members of a family.

Meanwhile, The Hindu reported that the injured have been taken to Calcutta Medical College for treatment. The fire is now under control. Officials have yet to determine the cause of the blaze, and an investigation is underway.

A case has been filed against its owner with New Market Police Station.

Preliminary information suggested an air conditioner in the budget hotel may have exploded and caused the blaze, Anuj Sharma, the fire services director of West Bengal state, told AFP.

Around 60 people were rescued from the building.

Initial reports suggested an air-conditioner explosion may have triggered the blaze, while others raised the possibility of an electrical fault. The cause has yet to be confirmed.

The fire was eventually brought under control and authorities searched the building as rescue operations continued.

Indian media reports said preliminary investigations had also identified shortcomings in the hotel’s fire-safety arrangements. Kolkata Police have registered a case and are investigating the cause of the blaze and the circumstances surrounding the deaths.

The incident comes just two days after another deadly hotel fire in West Bengal’s Tarapith, which also claimed at least nine lives.

Following the Tarapith hotel fire, at least 15 hotels in the area were sealed and ordered to suspend operations.