At least nine people, including a child, were killed in a fire at a budget hotel in central Kolkata early on Wednesday, Indian police and fire officials said.
The blaze broke out on the second floor at about 2.50 a.m. local time while guests were asleep, and was brought under control within an hour, a senior police officer told Reuters. Daily Mirror, carrying a report from The Independent, placed the hotel on Mirza Ghalib Street — formerly Free School Street — and identified it as the Sikha Inn.
Anuj Sharma, fire services director for West Bengal state, told AFP that thick smoke filled the building and that some of the victims were found in bathrooms. He said preliminary information suggested an air conditioner may have exploded and started the fire.
Police said the blaze may have been triggered by an electrical short circuit and that the exact cause had yet to be established. Authorities said the investigation was continuing.
Accounts differ on those rescued
The two reports give different rescue figures. Ada Derana, citing Reuters, said around 30 people were evacuated safely and that nine — six men, two women and a child — were taken to hospital. Daily Mirror reported at least 28 people rescued, with six injured admitted to a nearby hospital.
The nationalities of those killed were also reported differently. Daily Mirror said all nine had been identified by the fire department as Bangladeshi nationals who had travelled to India for medical treatment. Ada Derana reported that news agency ANI, citing the fire department, said Bangladeshi citizens seeking medical treatment were among the dead, while the senior police officer it spoke to said nationalities had yet to be confirmed.
Kolkata is a common destination for Bangladeshi patients seeking treatment at Indian hospitals. The hotel sits in a congested part of the city known for budget accommodation and restaurants.
The fire is the latest in a series of such incidents in West Bengal.
