Nine killed in Kolkata hotel fire, safety lapses under probe

At least nine people, including a four-year-old child, died and six were injured after a fire broke out around 2 am on Wednesday at a hotel building on Mirza Ghalib Street in central Kolkata. The five-storey building housed multiple hotels and had only one entry and exit, no fire alarm, and cramped rooms without windows, according to guests and officials. Fire brigade personnel rescued about 80 people, but dense smoke hampered rescue. The cause is suspected to be a short circuit or an exploding air conditioner, pending forensic examination.

West Bengal Fire Minister Kaushik Chowdhury said the building management did not comply with basic safety norms and questioned how trade licenses were granted. A police case has been registered, and the building owner is absconding. Officials said some victims were Bangladeshi nationals who had come for medical treatment. The incident follows a fire at a hotel in Tarapith on August 17 that killed nine people. The state has ordered fire audits of all hotels and a committee to investigate.