AT least 14 people were killed when a massive fire swept through a low-cost hotel in the congested Mechuapatti area of Burrabazar in central Kolkata, police said on Wednesday. Most of the deceased lost their lives reportedly due to suffocation, and the blaze also left 13 others injured, officials said. Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma initially confirmed 15 fatalities but later revised the number to 14 after cross-checking with hospitals and rescue records. “The initial reports mentioned 15 casualties. There was some confusion. But after verification, the number has been corrected to 14. That is the confirmed figure we have at the moment,” Verma told reporters. The fire, which was first spotted around 7:30 PM on Tuesday, quickly turned the four-storey building into a furnace. Of the 14 deceased, 11 were men, the police said. Eight have been identified so far. A woman and two children - a boy and a girl - were among the deceased, an officer said. The cause of death in most cases was suffocation, while a few may have died after jumping from the upper floors of the hotel in panic.

 

Eyewitnesses described scenes of horror as flames leapt through windows and thick black smoke choked the corridors. Trapped guests screamed for help, while some jumped from windows to escape the inferno. Firefighters, aided by ladders and ropes, pulled out scorched survivors as cries rang out from the engulfed structure. Ten fire tenders were deployed, and after nearly 10 hours of intense firefighting, the blaze was brought under control early Wednesday morning, the State Fire and Emergency Services Department said.

 

A senior officer said the Rituraj Hotel, a low-cost lodging facility, had 88 guests staying in 42 rooms at the time of the fire incident. Fire and Emergency Services Minister Sujit Bose also initially said that 15 people had died in the fire, but later corrected the toll to 14. PM Narendra Modi expressed grief over the tragedy and announced financial assistance to the victims’ families. “Anguished by the loss of lives due to a fire mishap in Kolkata. Condolences to those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon. An ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000,” the Prime Minister’s Office posted on X. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also confirmed the death toll at 14 and ordered a thorough investigation.