by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
KOLKATA, INDIA (Worthy News) – —At least nine people, including five Bangladeshi nationals and a child, were killed Wednesday when fire and thick smoke swept through a building housing several hotels in Kolkata, highlighting broader concerns about lax enforcement of fire-safety regulations in one of the world’s most densely populated cities and across India.
The blaze erupted at about 2 a.m. at Sikha Inn on the second floor of the five-story Florence Mansion on Mirza Ghalib Street in central Kolkata, according to police and fire officials.
Authorities said flames broke out near the staircase, while dense smoke quickly spread through the building, trapping guests as they slept. Some victims were reportedly found in bathrooms, apparently after trying to escape the smoke.
Survivors described chaotic scenes as smoke filled rooms and corridors. “I was on the third floor and suddenly saw a lot of smoke coming into the room. The entire floor was enveloped in smoke and I jumped out the window to escape the fire,” survivor Izaj Ahmed recalled.
Firefighters and emergency workers rescued scores of people from the five-story building, which housed several guesthouses and inns popular with Bangladeshi visitors. Reports differed over the precise number rescued, with some local authorities putting it at about 60 and other accounts citing a higher figure.
DEADLY KOLKATA HOTEL FIRE
Five of those killed were Bangladeshi nationals, including four members of one family from Kushtia, according to local reports. Other victims included residents of the Indian states of Bihar and West Bengal.
The Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata said it was assisting victims and relatives and would help repatriate the bodies of Bangladeshi nationals once identification procedures were completed.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “extremely pained” by the deaths and offered condolences to grieving families while wishing the injured a swift recovery.
The cause of the blaze remained under investigation. Authorities were examining possible electrical causes, including reports involving an air-conditioning unit, while also investigating whether the property complied with fire-safety requirements.
Police established a five-member special investigation team led by a senior detective to investigate the disaster. Authorities also opened a criminal case covering alleged negligence and culpable homicide not amounting to murder under Indian law.
HOTEL SAFETY UNDER SCRUTINY
The tragedy raised questions about conditions inside the building. Police said a narrow metal staircase complicated efforts by occupants to escape, while survivors and local residents alleged that adequate firefighting equipment was not available.
Authorities said numerous guesthouses were operating inside Florence Mansion, serving an area of Kolkata frequently used by Bangladeshi visitors, including people traveling to the eastern Indian metropolis for medical treatment and other purposes.
The deaths also came just two days after another hotel fire in West Bengal, in the pilgrimage town of Tarapith, reportedly killed nine people.
Authorities subsequently sealed at least 15 hotels in Tarapith over alleged safety violations, intensifying scrutiny of fire precautions at smaller hotels and guesthouses across the state.
The Kolkata tragedy is also part of a wider debate in India over whether existing fire-safety rules are being adequately enforced in the nation’s rapidly growing and densely populated cities.
INDIA FIRE SAFETY CONCERNS
India has extensive fire-safety provisions under its National Building Code, including requirements covering escape routes, alarms, firefighting equipment and other measures, while states and local authorities are responsible for incorporating and enforcing relevant standards.
Yet deadly fires have repeatedly exposed alleged failures in compliance and enforcement. In June, 21 people were killed in a fire at a bed-and-breakfast facility in New Delhi’s Malviya Nagar area, prompting authorities to establish dozens of committees to inspect buildings and identify fire-safety violations.
The Kolkata disaster has now renewed similar questions in West Bengal, where authorities said they would conduct fire-safety inspections of hotels following Wednesday’s blaze.
West Bengal government ministers visited the scene as political debate emerged over responsibility for safety standards.
Urban Development Minister Agnimitra Paul said about 10 guesthouses were operating from the building and blamed licensing practices under the previous Trinamool Congress government for contributing to unsafe conditions.
POLITICAL BLAME EMERGES
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari described the disaster as a “grim reminder” of what he called past negligence and said his government was working to strengthen safety standards.
However, investigators were still trying to establish precisely how the fire began and whether alleged regulatory or fire-safety failures contributed directly to the deaths.
For families in India and neighboring Bangladesh, the investigation comes amid mourning for victims who were staying in a building where an overnight fire turned narrow corridors and stairways into potentially deadly escape routes.
The two deadly hotel fires in West Bengal within days, coming only months after another major accommodation fire in New Delhi, have increased pressure on authorities to determine whether such tragedies reflect wider shortcomings in enforcing India’s existing fire-safety rules.
The tragedy comes at a time when India, a predominantly Hindu nation of about 1.5 billion people, is experiencing rapid urbanization and intense pressure on accommodation and commercial space, raising questions about the potentially deadly consequences when fire-safety requirements are ignored or inadequately enforced.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
