Seven Killed In Hotel Fire In West Bengal, India

NEW DELHI, Aug 17 (NNN-Xinhua) -- At least seven people were killed and several others injured on Monday in a devastating fire at a hotel in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal, police said, reported Xinhua.

The fire broke out in the early hours of the morning on the ground floor of a four-storey hotel in Tarapith town in Birbhum district, about 220 kilometres north of Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal.

“The victims died of asphyxiation after inhaling toxic smoke from the burning ceiling, fibreglass and other inflammable materials used in the ground-floor reception area,” a police official said.

Reports said most of the guests were asleep when the blaze broke out.

Those who woke up following the outbreak were reportedly disoriented and struggled to find an escape route, according to police.

Immediately after receiving the distress call, police and firefighters rushed to the scene to bring the fire under control and rescue the people trapped inside the hotel.

Officials said some of those killed were pilgrims who had travelled to Tarapith to offer prayers at the town's Hindu temple.

The cause of the fire, which spread rapidly to the upper floors, is being ascertained. Some reports suggest that the fire was triggered by a short circuit.

Police have registered a case and ordered an investigation into the incident.

-- NNN-BERNAMA-XINHUA 

TAGS: India, West Bengal, fire, hotel

SKKR