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At least nine Bangladeshis were killed in a devastating fire at a hotel on Mirza Ghalib Street near Kolkata’s New Market. The victims included six men, two women and a child. Several Bangladeshis who survived the fire said they took shelter on the rooftop after being unable to breathe amid thick smoke. The report was published by Anandabazar.com.
Mohammad Asafur Jamal, a resident of Dhaka, and his brother were staying on the fourth floor when the fire broke out late Tuesday night (August 18). They had travelled to Kolkata for business.
Jamal said he was asleep when shouting suddenly woke him. Looking out of the window, he saw people shouting that a fire had broken out.
He and his brother quickly tried to leave, but thick smoke entered their room as soon as they opened the door. The way downstairs was also covered in smoke. They eventually managed to reach the rooftop with other guests.
“We couldn’t go downstairs. Somehow, everyone on that floor made it to the rooftop through the smoke. There were around 20 to 25 of us. We took shelter near a water tank. We had no idea which direction the fire might come from,” Jamal said.
He said they were prepared to use water from the tank to try to extinguish the flames if the fire reached the rooftop. They remained there in panic until firefighters arrived.
Another Dhaka resident, Mohammad Nazmul Sarkar, was also staying at the hotel. He had travelled to Kolkata for heart treatment.
Describing his experience, Nazmul said, “At one point, I thought I would die. There was a lack of oxygen. I couldn’t breathe.”
Nazmul said hotel staff told them to move upstairs, but the staircase was extremely narrow, allowing only one person to pass at a time. He managed to climb the iron staircase through the smoke using his mobile phone’s flashlight.
“I couldn’t figure out where to escape. There was no way to go downstairs. Smoke was everywhere. I couldn’t see anything even a hand’s length away. As soon as the gate was opened, smoke poured in. Everything became dark,” he said.
Several residents also complained about the hotel’s safety arrangements. They alleged that hotel staff did not respond adequately after the fire broke out and that there were no fire extinguishers.
Meanwhile, Kawsar Hossain, who had travelled from Bangladesh to Kolkata with his child, was staying at another hotel on the ground floor of the building. They initially did not realise that a fire had broken out.
Kawsar said they were asleep when hotel staff knocked on their door and woke them up. They then rushed outside.
Many guests were asleep in different rooms when the fire broke out. Authorities initially suspect that some people may have died from suffocation caused by thick smoke. The injured were taken to Kolkata Medical College Hospital.
Mirza Ghalib Street is located next to Kolkata’s New Market. The narrow staircases and exits made the rescue operation difficult after the fire broke out. Firefighters and rescue teams conducted an operation and rescued many residents.
