9 Bangladeshis killed in Kolkata hotel fire: Police

Nine people, including a child, were killed and eight others injured in a devastating fire at a residential hotel on Mirza Ghalib Street near New Market in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.

Kolkata Police said the deceased were Bangladeshi nationals. Local fire service officials also confirmed the information.

The injured have been admitted to Kolkata Medical College Hospital and other hospitals for treatment.

Police, fire service officials and local residents said the victims were staying at the hotel as residential guests. They were Bangladeshi nationals who had travelled to Kolkata for medical treatment and were staying at the three-storey Shikha Inn on Mirza Ghalib Street.

The hotel is located immediately beside the headquarters of the Kolkata Fire Service. The five-storey building houses several hotels on different floors, each operating under a different name.

Mohammad Rafiqul Islam, a resident guest at Shikha Inn, told Prothom Alo that the fire broke out on the third floor at around 1:45 am on Wednesday. The entire hotel was soon engulfed in smoke, trapping guests inside.

He further said the hotel had a narrow and inadequate entrance and lacked proper fire-safety equipment. Despite these shortcomings, the hotel had continued to operate.

Kolkata Police have not yet released the identities of the deceased. However, they confirmed that nine people had died and eight others had sustained serious injuries, adding that the deceased were Bangladeshi nationals.

A report by The Hindu, quoting a senior Kolkata Police official, said nine Bangladeshi nationals had died in the fire.

Indian news outlet NDTV also reported that Bangladeshis were among those killed in the blaze.

As the hotel is located next to the Kolkata Fire Service headquarters, firefighters reached the scene shortly after receiving the alert. They brought the blaze under control and attempted to evacuate the hotel’s guests.

The fire service suspects that a short circuit may have caused the fire.

The exact number of people staying at the hotel at the time of the incident remains unknown.

Local residents said the area is particularly popular among Bangladeshis, many of whom stay at these hotels while travelling to Kolkata for medical treatment.