A massive fire broke out at a central Kolkata hotel in Mechua on Tuesday evening (April 29, 2025) and killed at least 14 people and injured over 13 others. One man died after jumping from the building, trying to escape the fire in a state of panic. The remaining 13 deaths were due to suffocation, reports The Hindu.
Most of these people died of suffocation as the congested lanes of the Burrabazar made rescue operations difficult. The fire started around 8:15 p.m. on Tuesday (April 29, 2025) and was brought under control in the early hours of Wednesday (April 30, 2025). Over 10 fire engines worked overnight to douse the fire.
"A total of 14 people have died in the fire at Rituraj Hotel. Further investigation is underway, and a Special Investigation Team has been formed to probe into the matter," Commissioner of Police Manoj Kumar Verma told media persons while visiting the affected area.
Rituraj Hotel, a six-story building inside the lanes of the congested Burrabazar area of Kolkata, had 88 in 42 rooms according to Indira Mukherjee, Deputy Commissioner of Police — Central Division. There were around 60 staff members present on the premises.
According to police two children were also killed in the fire. Eight of the bodies have been identified, the rest are being processed. 13 of the injured were sent to the hospital, 12 of them have been discharged and one remained under observation.
After the fire erupted in the Madan Mohan Barman Street hotel, panic spread among the locals, and many tried to jump from the hotel balcony to escape. Firefighters and police constantly urged people not to panic and jump. But in the meantime, Manoj Paswan jumped from the top to save himself from the fire. He was taken to the Medical College Hospital and was declared dead.
"The fire started on the first floor of the hotel. Our owner kept screaming and asked the customers to be rescued as he tried his best to douse the fire with buckets of water," a worker of Rituraj Hotel said.
Mayor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation Firhad Hakim and Minister Shashi Panja visited the spot and took stock of the rescue operations.
"Till the time forensic is not conducted we will not know the real cause of the fire," Mr. Hakim told media persons after visiting the spot.
According to the Mayor, as the fire started on the lower floors of the hotel and started rising upwards, smoke filled the upper stories and also made it difficult for people to leave from the main entrance. Hotel staff said that this caused panic, and everyone rushed to the top floors and terrace.
Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari expressed condolence over the deaths but also questioned the infrastructure and safety measures. He called for a thorough probe and wrote on social media handle X "however what is most concerning is that the tragedy struck at the heart of Kolkata, yet the response wasn't adequate and prompt considering the location."
Kolkata has witnessed several major fire accidents such as Stephen Court fire in March 2010 and AMRI Hospital fire tragedy in December 2011 which claimed several lives.
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