Five B’deshis among nine killed in Kolkata hotel fire

Five B’deshis among nine killed in Kolkata hotel fire  Dawn

Around 80 people were rescued from the building,which also houses other guest houses, lodges, eateries,offices and retail outlets.KOLKATA: Nine people, at least five of them Bangladeshi nationals, choked to death in their sleep after a fire broke out at a lodge inside a five-storey building on Free School Street in cen

The blaze erupted around 2 a.m on the second floor of Sikha Inn; 60 people were rescued from the five-storey building on Mirza Ghalib Street where several guest houses were operating

Debashish Dutta, his wife, son and father-in-law went to India for medical treatment

It's thought the blaze started from a malfunctioning air conditioning unit

The cause of the fire is still unknown. The hotel is located in central Kolkata, an area known for budget accommodations and restaurants.

Police have yet to confirm the identities of the deceased, but it has been reported all nine are Bangladeshi citizens caught up in the inferno in India

Initial reports suggest the fire may have been triggered by an air-conditioner explosion, though the exact cause is yet to be confirmed.

At least nine killed in hotel fire in India's Kolkata  Reuters

At least nine people were killed, including a child, in a fire at a ​hotel in India's eastern city of Kolkata ‌on Wednesday, local police said.