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At least 14 dead as fire tears through hotel in India

By AAP Newswire

Apr 30, 2025

Firefighters at the hotel in Kolkata — Six fire engines were involved in extinguishing a blaze at a hotel in the Indian city of Kolkata. -AP

At least 14 people are dead after a fire tore through a hotel in Kolkata in eastern India.

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Senior police officer Manoj Kumar Verma told reporters the fire broke out at the Rituraj Hotel and was extinguished after an operation that involved six fire engines.

The cause of the fire was not immediately clear.

Photos and videos carried in Indian media showed people trying to escape through the windows and narrow ledges of the building.

Kolkata's The Telegraph newspaper reported at least one person died when he jumped off the terrace trying to escape.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X that he was "anguished" by the loss of lives in the fire.

Fires are common in India, where builders and residents often flout building laws and safety codes. Activists say builders often cut corners on safety to save costs and have accused civic authorities of negligence and apathy.

In 2022, at least 27 people were killed when a massive fire tore though a four-storey commercial building in New Delhi.

By AAP Newswire

Australian Associated Press