Disasters & Incidents
Kolkata hotel fire kills at least nine, official says
At least nine people were killed and several others were injured in a fire at a budget hotel in Kolkata early Wednesday, a senior fire official in India's West Bengal state told AFP.
Anuj Sharma, the state's fire services director, said the dead included a child. He said thick smoke enveloped the hotel and that some victims were found in bathrooms.
Sharma said preliminary information suggested an air conditioner may have exploded and caused the blaze. He said nine people — six men, two women and a child — were rescued and taken to hospital.
A total of 60 guests were in the hotel when the fire broke out.
Santosh Pathak, a member of West Bengal's ruling party, told reporters that some victims seemed to be Bangladeshi nationals who had travelled to Kolkata for medical treatment, but said authorities were trying to confirm their nationality.
Update
The fire was at a budget hotel in Kolkata.
A senior fire official said the nine killed included a child.
The official said thick smoke enveloped the hotel and some victims were found in bathrooms.
Preliminary information suggested an air conditioner may have exploded and caused the blaze, according to the official.
A total of 60 guests were in the hotel when the fire broke out.
A West Bengal ruling party member said some victims seemed to be Bangladeshi nationals who had travelled to Kolkata for medical treatment, but their nationality was still being checked.
Source note: AFP news report published on 19 August 2026 at 04:00:40 UTC.
Uncertainty notes
The cause of the fire was described as preliminary.
The nationality of the victims had not been confirmed.
The source separately states that a child was among those killed and that a child was among those rescued; it does not clarify whether these refer to different children.
Source
AFP news report published on .