9 suffocate to death in sleep in Kolkata lodge fire, 5 Bangladeshis among them
A fire at a lodge in Kolkata resulted in the deaths of nine people, including five Bangladeshi nationals. Authorities have launched an investigation and are conducting fire-safety audits across the city.
Why it matters
The incident highlights critical fire safety concerns in urban centers and has prompted immediate government regulatory action.
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 central Kolkata around 1.40 am Wednesday, trapping guests inside smoke-filled rooms. Around 80 people were rescued from the building that also houses several other guest houses, lodges, eateries, offices and retail outlets.Located at 15G Mirza Ghalib Street (Free School Street), the building is just about 40 metres from the state fire brigade headquarters and less than a kilometre from Kolkata Municipal Corporation headquarters and New Market.All the deaths occurred on the second floor of the building, where the fire possibly started following a short circuit in the reception area of Shikha Inn.
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