At least 14 lives lost in Kolkata hotel blaze

KABUL (Pajhwok): At least 14 people have been killed in a blaze at a hotel in the Indian city of Kolkata, a media report said on Wednesday.

The fire broke out around 7:30pm at the Rituraj Hotel, located on Madanmohan Street in the city’s Burra Bazaar area, the India Express reported.

It added 10 fire engines were dispatched to the site, and the blaze was brought under control at around 1am on Wednesday.

Most of the victims died from suffocation, while one person fell to death from the building as he attempted to escape the blaze, the India Express reported

“Fourteen casualties have been reported so far. An SIT has been formed to probe the cause of the fire and to check the safety measures that were in place. The investigation will also look into the difficulties faced by the guests while evacuating from the building,” Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Kumar Verma told reporters.

kk/mud