Kolkata, August 19: A hotel fire on Mirza Galib Street in central Kolkata claimed at least nine lives and left six people injured during the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Firefighters, supported by police units and the Disaster Management Department, managed to extinguish the flames using five fire tenders after the emergency started at approximately 1.45 am. Medical teams quickly transferred all rescued victims with injuries to a nearby hospital facility.
Rescuers faced severe operational obstacles inside the building as thick smoke blinded access to the staircase and upper levels. Speaking to PTI, a police officer affirmed that the fatality count had reached nine, though additional deaths were still feared as search efforts continued.
The officer stated that rescue teams prioritized finding remaining occupants while gathering clues regarding the cause of the disaster. Fire crews have fully doused the open flames and are executing final cooling operations across the property.
