Identity of Kolkata hotel fire victims revealed

The identities of Bangladeshis killed in a hotel fire in India’s Kolkata have been revealed. At least nine Bangladeshis were killed in the fire that broke out at a hotel in Kolkata on Tuesday (August 18) night.

A child and two women were among the deceased.

Among the identified victims are Debashish Dutt, 37, and his two-year-old son Swarnoshish, both from Aruapara in Kushtia Sadar upazila. Afsana Shimmin, 25, from the same area, was also killed in the incident.

Besides, Md Akram Ali, 64, son of Yasin Ali of Thanapara area in the same upazila, was among the deceased. Ahmed Babu, 2, from Begunbari area of Savar in Dhaka, and Swandip Passwan, 19, from Giridih district in India’s Jharkhand, were also among the victims.

Hospital sources said the identities of three more victims had yet to be established.

They said no burn marks were found on the bodies of the deceased. It is suspected that they died from suffocation after inhaling poisonous smoke.

Local sources said many hotel guests took shelter in washrooms to protect themselves from the fire. Later, fire service officials evacuated them using ladders.

Witnesses said the fire broke out at a hotel on Mirza Ghalib Street at around 2am.

Six injured people were also rescued from the scene and taken to hospitals for treatment.