At Least 14 Dead, 7 Injured in Kolkata Hotel Fire, SIT Formed to Probe Cause

Kolkata:  At least 14 people were killed and several others injured after a massive fire broke out at Hotel Rituraj in central Kolkata’s Burrabazar area on Tuesday night. The fire started around 8:30 PM in the Mechua fruit market locality, a densely populated commercial hub.

According to Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Kumar Verma, the fire was brought under control, and rescue teams recovered 14 bodies from the hotel. Several people were also rescued, and many sustained burn injuries.

Tragically, one hotel staff member died after jumping from the rooftop while trying to escape the flames. Once the fire was controlled, firefighters and disaster response teams searched the building and found 13 more bodies inside various rooms.

The cause of the fire is yet to be determined.  A special team has been formed to investigate the incident. The recovered bodies have been sent for post-mortem examinations at RG Kar Hospital and Neel Ratan Sarkar Medical College.

Union Minister and West Bengal BJP President Sukanta Majumdar expressed condolences and called for urgent action from the state government. He also urged stricter enforcement of fire safety regulations to avoid such incidents in the future.

West Bengal Congress president Subhankar Sarkar criticized the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, citing poor safety standards and negligence.

PMO India tweeted, expressing deep sorrow over the tragic fire in Kolkata. Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered condolences to the families of the deceased and prayers for the speedy recovery of the injured. He announced that financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh will be provided to the next of kin of each deceased, and Rs 50,000 to those injured from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund.

The President of India also expressed deep sorrow over the devastating fire in Kolkata, offering condolences to the victims' families.

Rescue operations and investigation efforts are still ongoing.