Dhaka: The Deputy High Commission of Bangladesh has said seven Bangladeshi nationals and two Indian citizens were killed in a devastating fire in Kolkata.
Md Khaled, the deputy high commissioner of Bangladesh in Kolkata, provided the latest update on the dead on Wednesday night.
Speaking to bdnews24.com, he said: “We have confirmed that seven of the nine victims are Bangladeshi, while the remaining two are Indian nationals.
Indian media had initially reported that all victims of Tuesday night’s tragedy were Bangladeshi nationals.
The foreign ministry – citing local police — had previously said that five of the dead were confirmed to be Bangladeshi.
Among them were Kushtia-based journalist Debashish Dutta, his wife, their son, and his father-in-law.
At that time, officials feared that three of the remaining four victims were also Bangladeshi.
Another Bangladeshi victim has been identified as 37-year-old Ahmed Babu, son of Adam Ali from Savar’s Aminbazar.
According to his family, he had travelled to Kolkata on Monday to purchase inventory for his shop.
The dead – who died of burns and asphyxiation in the blaze at the hotel on Mirza Ghalib Street in Kolkata’s New Market – include six men, two women, and a child.
Indian media outlets reported that the fire broke out at around 2am on Tuesday on the third floor of the Hotel Shikha Inn on Mirza Ghalib Street before spreading to neighbouring buildings.
The guests were asleep when the fire erupted. Panicked residents scrambled to escape as dense smoke filled the rooms.
The Kolkata Fire Service headquarters is located near the hotel.
Upon receiving the alert, four fire engines rushed to the scene and commenced firefighting operations.
Officers from New Market Police Station and a disaster management team also joined the rescue effort.
Citing witnesses, Anandabazar reported that no visible flames were seen from the outside initially, but thick black smoke was billowing out.
Realising that a fire had broken out, guests attempted to flee the premises.
However, access into and out of the building via the narrow lane was severely restricted, leading to a stampede-like situation inside.
Police and firefighters rescued 60 people from the building.
Many of those brought out were unconscious due to smoke inhalation and were rushed to hospital.
