At least eight people were charred to death after a massive fire broke out at a private hotel in the temple town of Tarapith in Birbhum district of West Bengal, said officials on Monday. Of them, five were from Meghalaya and three from West Bengal's Alipurduar.
The incident happened around 4 am when the fire broke out on the ground floor of the four-storey hotel after which two fire tenders were rushed to the spot to bring the situation under control. Photos and videos from the spot could show firefighting officials and the police trying to douse the massive blaze.
Locals were also seen assisting the officials. Although the situation has been brought under control, locals fear that the death count could rise.
The fire reportedly broke out in one of the AC units of the hotel and rapidly spread. Preliminary investigation suggests that the hotel lacked basic fire safety measures and the fire alarm failed at the crucial moment. A thorough investigation is likely to be conducted by officials later, though.
"Neither smoke nor flames were visible from the outside. Police and fire brigade teams arrived at the scene; 22 people were rescued using ladders, and 11 others were sent to the hospital... 7 people have lost their lives in this incident... an FSL team will arrive here. The hotel operators have been taken into custody after an FIR was registered; we are questioning them and are proceeding with further action and investigation," Birbhum SP Vidit Raj Bhundesh told reporters.
The incident also left several people injured, who were taken to the Rampurhat Government Medical College and Hospital. According to officials, the incident happened at a time when people have swelled Tarapith to offer prayers at the famous Kali temple.
A female guest, who was from Kolkata, said the entire hotel was engulfed by the smoke and many couldn't escape due to it, while adding that several people also faced a difficulty in breathing. "Suddenly, the entire hotel was engulfed in smoke. We could not breathe, and it was hard to find an escape route," she was quoted by news agency PTI as saying.
Another guest, Tapanjyoti Mondal, said he was trapped in his room with his wife and two children for nearly 45 minutes. "We could not come out of the door because of the blaze. Since the room had no window, they escaped through an opening near the bathroom ceiling," he told PTI.
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