Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has announced financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh to the families of the victims and Rs 50,000 to the injured in the massive fire incident at a hotel in the Burrabazar area of Kolkata on Tuesday.
"State Government will give an ex-gratia @ 2 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased, while the injured persons will get 50,000/- each. Reiterate my condolences and solidarity," she wrote on X.
"Continuing to monitor the fallout of the unfortunate fire incident at a private hotel (Rituraj) in the Burra Bazar area and appreciate the Fire Services' and police efforts in rescuing around 99 persons from out of most adverse circumstances. Also thankful to the local people for their cooperation and help in rescue operations. It has been preliminarily reported to me that those who died were victims of suffocation/ jumping etc. Further investigations are going on," she added.
Continuing to monitor the fallout of the unfortunate fire incident at a private hotel (Rituraj) in the Burra Bazar area and appreciate the Fire Services' and police efforts in rescuing around 99 persons from out of most adverse circumstances.
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) April 30, 2025
Also thankful to the local people…
On the other hand, Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose extended his condolences to the bereaved families, urging everyone to be aware of the safety measures to avert such mishaps.
Ranbir Kumar, DG of the KMC Building Department, took a stock of the situation. "The fire started from a sink on the first floor of the hotel, which later spread to the top, leading to the suffocation of the guests. There was no specific fire system installed in the hotel, and the fire permit was not renewed for several years. Some inflammable objects on the first floor led to the rapid spread of the fire."
Fifteen people, including a woman and two children, were killed and 13 were injured in the devastating fire at a hotel in the Mechuapatti area of central Kolkata, police said on Wednesday. Thirteen others were also injured in the fire that broke out on Tuesday evening, a senior police officer said.
PM Modi Announces Ex-gratia
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed anguish over the loss of lives in the fire incident, and announced ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased. "Anguished by the loss of lives due to a fire mishap in Kolkata. Condolences to those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon. An ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000," the prime minister's office said on X.
Anguished by the loss of lives due to a fire mishap in Kolkata. Condolences to those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon.
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) April 30, 2025
An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000: PM…
According to the Kolkata Police officer, the deceased include 11 men, eight of whom have been identified so far.
The condition of several of the injured is said to be critical, he said. "There were 88 guests in 42 rooms at the time of the incident. A boy, a girl and a woman are among the dead. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. Our forensic team will examine the site, which has been cordoned off," the officer said.
The fire at the low-cost Rituraj Hotel was first reported around 7:30 pm on Tuesday. Ten fire tenders were pressed into service, and the blaze was brought under control, after nearly 10 hours," a fire and emergency services official said.
"There were 15 fatalities in last night’s fire. Eight of the deceased have been identified," state minister Sujit Bose said. In the wake of the tragedy, the Kolkata Police has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) for the probe.
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