Daijiworld Media Network - Kolkata
Kolkata, Apr 30: Tragedy struck the bustling Mechhuapatti area in central Kolkata on Tuesday evening as a fierce fire broke out in Rituraj Hotel, a six-storey budget hotel located in the crowded Burrabazar neighbourhood, leaving 14 people dead, including a woman and two children.
The blaze, which began around 7:30–8pm, quickly spread across the building, which was housing 88 occupants in 42 rooms. Thick smoke filled the corridors, trapping many guests and staff inside. In the ensuing chaos, several people were seen attempting to flee through windows and narrow ledges.
One hotel staff member, Manoj Paswas, tragically lost his life after jumping from one of the floors in a desperate bid to escape. “Several boarders and hotel staff climbed up to the roof when smoke engulfed the rooms, but one panicked and jumped,” a fire brigade official said.
Heartbreaking scenes emerged as people screamed for help from windows, with one boy reportedly calling for his mother before he disappeared in the flames. Another man jumped from the fourth floor and fractured his leg while trying to escape.
Firefighters worked tirelessly for nearly 10 hours, with at least 10 fire engines deployed to combat the blaze. By Wednesday morning, the fire was brought under control, but not before 14 lives were lost and 13 others sustained injuries, some critically.
The police confirmed the deaths of 11 men, a woman, a boy, and a girl in the fire, with many others injured. Abdul Karim, a survivor, recalled seeing smoke filling his room and people frantically running for safety. "I tried to knock on other doors when the smoke came in," Karim, a trader from Murshidabad.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been formed to probe the cause of the fire. The building has been sealed, and a forensic team is expected to examine it thoroughly.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his anguish over the tragedy, offering condolences to the victims' families. The area around Mechhuapatti remained cordoned off as investigators combed through the aftermath of the horrific fire.