At least 9 dead, including a child, and several people injured or intoxicated. This is the tragic toll, unfortunately still provisional, of the violent fire that devastated a hotel in the city of Calcutta, India, at dawn today, Wednesday 19 August.
The fire in the hotel
The alarm went off shortly after 2am, when flames began to envelop the structure located in Mirza Ghalib street, in the heart of the city, near the New Market shopping area. When the fire broke out, there were around 60 people inside the hotel. Several rescuers intervened on site and helped evacuate the building, freeing the trapped guests and putting out the fire.
Nine victims
According to what was reported to local media by a diplomat from the Bangladesh Mission in Calcutta, the nine victims were all Bangladeshi nationals, “although the police are still working on the official confirmation of their identities”.
India, fire in a hotel in Calcutta (Photo LaPresse)
The toll was confirmed to AFP by Anuj Sharma, director of the West Bengal state fire brigade: “Nine people, including a child, died in the fire that broke out in the early hours of Wednesday. Thick smoke enveloped the hotel and some victims were found in the bathrooms. Nine other people, six men, two women and a child, were rescued and transported to hospital.”
Local authorities have started investigations to clarify the causes of the fire. According to initial information, the fire may have originated from the explosion of an air conditioner, with the flames then spreading to the rest of the structure.