9 dead after fire breaks out at Kolkata hotel; Bangladesh national among victims

Kolkata: At least nine people, including a child, were killed after a fire broke out at a hotel on Free School Street on Wednesday.

The incident happened around 2 am. Most of the guests were asleep when the blaze broke out and smoke quickly spread through the hotel, officials said.

According to ANI, citing the fire department, the deceased were Bangladeshi citizens who arrived here for medical treatment.

Around 28 people were rescued from the hotel and taken to different hospitals in Kolkata for treatment, police said.

Fire and rescue operations have been completed, while authorities are investigating the cause of the blaze.

According to TV9Bangla, the fire started from an air-conditioning unit and spread to four rooms of the hotel. Several guests managed to reach the rooftop to escape the flames.

Four fire tenders were rushed to the spot after authorities received information about the blaze. A disaster management team also joined the rescue operation.

Firefighters evacuated people trapped inside the building before bringing the fire under control.

The incident came barely hours after eight people died in a fire at a hotel in West Bengal's Birbhum district. Of the 43 people who were in the hotel in the temple town of Tarapith when the fire broke out, one was undergoing treatment at a hospital, while 34 had been discharged after preliminary examination, officials said.

The fire erupted around 4.30 am on the ground floor of the four-storey hotel, when most of the guests were asleep. Several guests were trapped on the upper floors as thick smoke spread through the building. Fire tenders were rushed to the spot and brought the blaze under control.

The injured were taken to the Rampurhat Government Medical College and Hospital. Some suffered burn injuries, while others fell ill due to asphyxiation, officials said.