15 dead in India hotel fire; PM expresses condolences, announces ex gratia

KOLKATA, Apr 30: Fifteen people, including a woman and two children, were killed in a devastating fire at a hotel in the Mechuapatti area of central Kolkata, police said on Wednesday.

Thirteen others were also injured in the fire that broke out on Tuesday evening, a senior police officer said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed anguish over the loss of lives in the fire incident, and announced ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased.

"Anguished by the loss of lives due to a fire mishap in Kolkata. Condolences to those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon. An ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000," the prime minister's office said on X.

According to the Kolkata Police officer, the deceased include 11 men, eight of whom have been identified so far.

The condition of several of the injured is said to be critical, he said.

“There were 88 guests in 42 rooms at the time of the incident. A boy, a girl and a woman are among the dead. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. Our forensic team will examine the site, which has been cordoned off,” the officer said.

The fire at the low-cost Rituraj Hotel was first reported around 7:30 PM on Tuesday.

Ten fire tenders were pressed into service, and the blaze was brought under control, after nearly 10 hours, this morning on Wednesday, a fire and emergency services official said.

"There were 15 fatalities in last night’s fire. Eight of the deceased have been identified," state minister Sujit Bose told PTI.

In the wake of the tragedy, the Kolkata Police has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the incident.

West Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar lashed out at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, accusing her of "insensitivity" for attending a day-long inauguration programme of Jagannath Dham in Digha while the fire tragedy was unfolding in the state capital.

"Yesterday, a devastating fire in the Mechhua area of Burrabazar claimed the lives of more than 14 innocent people. Many more are battling for their lives. Yet, the chief minister chose to remain silent and continued with her religious event in Digha," Majumdar said in a strongly worded statement.

"This exposes her lack of empathy and the failure of her administration. While helpless citizens were trapped in flames and dying in pain, the CM was busy exploiting religion for political gain. Her year-round appeasement and election-time religious posturing have once again taken precedence over governance," he alleged

Majumdar called upon BJP workers across the state to mobilise relief efforts immediately and extend support to the victims' families.

"I will personally stand by the affected families and oversee our party's involvement in the rescue and relief operations," he said.