9 hours Ago By Timothy Enietan-Matthews
A devastating fire tore through a hotel in the bustling Indian city of Kolkata, claiming the lives of at least 15 people, police confirmed on Wednesday. In a desperate bid to escape the raging inferno, some occupants were seen clambering out of windows and onto the hotel’s rooftop. Kolkata police chief, Manoj Verma, told reporters that several individuals were successfully rescued from the rooms and the roof of the budget hotel, Rituraj Hotel, after the fire erupted on Tuesday evening.
“The death toll has risen to 15, including two children and a woman,” Verma stated, adding that a thorough investigation has been initiated to determine the cause of the deadly blaze. He grimly noted, “The hotel turned into a gas chamber and it appears that many people suffocated to death.” Read also: We don’t have the best leaders in Africa, but entertainment has changed the narrative —Davido The Rituraj Hotel, located in a densely populated business district in central Kolkata, had 88 guests registered at the time the fire broke out.
Tragically, approximately a dozen people sustained burn injuries and are currently receiving medical treatment. Building fires are a recurring problem in India, often attributed to inadequate firefighting equipment and a prevalent disregard for established safety regulations. In a similar incident last year, six lives were lost in a hotel fire in Patna, the capital of the eastern state of Bihar.
The Press Trust of India news agency, which captured harrowing images of flames engulfing the Kolkata building, reported that “several people were seen trying to escape through the windows and narrow ledges of the building”. Kolkata’s The Telegraph newspaper further reported a particularly tragic incident where at least one person died after he “jumped off the terrace trying to escape” the rapidly spreading fire. Verma assured that the fire had been brought under control and that “cooling operations are underway” to prevent any reignition.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. “May the injured recover soon,” his office said in an official statement. Kolkata, a vibrant metropolis with a population exceeding 15 million, serves as the capital of West Bengal state, which is currently governed by the opposition Trinamool Congress party.
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