Kolkata hotel fire tragedy claims nine lives, including five Bangladeshi tourists and a Jharkhand hotel worker. Police identify six victims, while investigations continue. Bengal government orders a special audit of hotels, lodges and guest houses on Mirza Ghalib Street, and Kolkata Police forms a five-member SIT to probe the deadly incident.
Nine people were killed in a tragic fire that broke out at a hotel building on Mirza Ghalib Street in central Kolkata, with police confirming that the victims died from suffocation rather than burn injuries. The incident has prompted a major investigation and a special safety audit of hotels, lodges and guest houses in the area.
By Wednesday evening, Kolkata Police had identified six of the nine victims. Five of those identified were Bangladeshi nationals who had travelled to Kolkata as tourists, while the sixth victim was a hotel employee from Giridih in Jharkhand.
Among the Bangladeshi victims were four members of the same family from Kushtia district. They were identified as journalist Debasish Dutta, his wife Afsana Sharmiin, their three-year-old son Swarnasish Dutta, and Afsana’s father Mohammad Akram. The family had travelled to Kolkata for Akram’s medical treatment.
The fifth Bangladeshi victim was identified as Babu Ahmed, a resident of Dhaka.
The Jharkhand resident was identified as Sandeep Paswan, who worked as reception staff at one of the hotels operating from the building. Police are continuing efforts to establish the identities of the remaining three victims.
According to police officials, the victims did not die from burn injuries. Instead, they succumbed to suffocation during the fire. The circumstances surrounding the blaze, including how it spread and whether adequate fire-safety measures were in place, are now part of the investigation.
No arrests had been made in connection with the incident by Wednesday evening.
Following the tragedy, the West Bengal government announced a detailed special audit of all hotels, lodges and guest houses located in the Mirza Ghalib Street area. The move is aimed at assessing fire-safety arrangements and identifying possible violations that could pose risks to guests, workers and visitors.
Kolkata Police has also constituted a five-member Special Investigation Team to conduct a detailed probe into the fire. A deputy commissioner-rank officer from the Detective Department will head the SIT. The team is expected to examine the circumstances leading to the fire, safety arrangements inside the building and other factors that may have contributed to the loss of life.
The New Market Police Station, which has jurisdiction over the area where the building is located, has registered a suo motu case. Separately, the state Fire Services Department has filed its own complaint in connection with the incident.
The tragedy has raised fresh concerns over fire safety in densely populated commercial and hospitality areas of central Kolkata. With several hotels and guest houses operating in the locality, authorities are now facing pressure to ensure that buildings have adequate emergency exits, fire-prevention systems and other safety measures.
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As investigations continue, police and fire officials are working to determine the exact cause of the blaze and establish whether any safety regulations were breached. The identification of the remaining three victims is also expected to provide further clarity on the full toll of the Kolkata hotel fire tragedy.
