14 dead, 13 hurt in Kolkata hotel blaze

A massive fire that tore through a budget hotel in Kolkata on Tuesday night claimed at least 14 lives and left 13 injured.

The fire broke out around 7.30 pm in the six-storey Rituraj Hotel and quickly engulfed the building, trapping several of the 88 guests staying in 42 rooms at the time, officials said.

"Most of those who died were trapped inside and could not escape the thick smoke," a senior officer of the Fire and Emergency Services Department said.

The majority of the victims died due to suffocation, while a few reportedly jumped off upper floors in panic. The deceased included 11 men, a woman and two children.

Eyewitnesses described chilling scenes of horror — flames leaping from windows, guests screaming for help, and some people jumping off from windows to escape the blaze.

Firefighters used ladders and ropes to rescue dozens of trapped guests as thick black smoke billowed from the building.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, but new inputs indicate gross negligence and flouting of fire safety norms by the hotel.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep grief over the tragedy and announced financial assistance for the families of the victims. The police have constituted an SIT to probe the cause of the fire.