Kolkata/Alipurduar, Aug. 17 -- At least nine people were killed after an inferno tore through a four-storey hotel in Tarapith, Birbhum, in the early hours of Monday, trapping pilgrims in their rooms as thick smoke turned the building into a death trap.
Police have, so far, arrested the hotel owner's son for alleged lapses in maintaining the fire-fighting system and detained another person.
PM Modi announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 for each injured person, while Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari expressed grief and assured all necessary support.
"Deeply pained by the extremely tragic incident involving the pilgrims who lost their lives in a fire at a hotel in Tarapith, Birbhum district," Adhikari said in a post on X.
He said the police and administration acted swiftly and rescued a substantial number of people, but "despite all efforts, the tragic loss of lives could not be avoided".
Adhikari said the Superintendent of Police, District Magistrate, local MLA Dhruba Saha and Minister of State for Fire Department, Koushik Chowdhury, were at the site supervising the rescue operations.
He said the state government had taken strict measures to ascertain the root cause of the tragedy, and assured that those responsible would be punished according to the law.
Appropriate compensation for the victims would also be announced, the CM said.
The fire erupted around 4.30 am on the ground floor of the hotel, identified as New Bideshini, when most guests were asleep. The temple town was witnessing a major influx of devotees on the last Monday of the holy month of Shravan. Of the 43 people staying at the hotel, 34 were discharged after preliminary examination, officials said.
Five of the deceased were members of a family from Meghalaya, while four others were residents of Alipurduar who had travelled to Tarapith to offer prayers.
Several guests were trapped on the upper floors as smoke rapidly engulfed the building. Fire tenders were rushed to the spot and brought the blaze under control.
The injured were taken to Rampurhat Government Medical College and Hospital, with some suffering burns and others affected by asphyxiation.
Preliminary investigation suggested the fire may have started near the reception after an electrical component of the power supply system caught fire. However, officials said the exact cause was yet to be established. Decorative and fibre materials inside the hotel reportedly helped the flames spread rapidly.
PM Modi expressed condolences to the bereaved families and announced the ex-gratia from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari also expressed grief and assured all necessary support, saying strict action would be taken against those responsible.
Minister of State for Fire and Emergency Services Koushik Chowdhury said: "A detailed investigation will be conducted, and we will take stern action against those involved."
Birbhum Superintendent of Police Vidit Raj Bhundesh said the son of the hotel owner had been detained. He added: "The back gate was closed; if it had been open, more people might have been able to escape."
He also said the terrace door was closed and made of plywood, preventing smoke from escaping. A forensic team was called in to examine the site.
Survivors recounted the horror. A Kolkata woman who escaped said: "Suddenly, the entire hotel was engulfed in smoke. We could not breathe, and it was hard to find an escape route." Guest Tapanjyoti Mondal said he was trapped 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 said.
Former chief minister Mamata Banerjee and TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee also expressed grief over the tragedy, praying for the victims and speedy recovery of those injured, while urging the administration to ensure immediate relief and support to affected families.
The Birbhum district administration has ordered a special audit of electrical installations and fire-fighting arrangements in hotels, lodges, guest houses and homestays across Tarapith ahead of the Kaushiki Amavasya festival, expected to draw a large number of pilgrims.
Meanwhile, grief has gripped Alipurduar after four residents died in the tragedy. They had travelled to Tarapith for prayers.
The elder brother of one of the deceased, Subir Saha, said the family had last spoken to him on Sunday night.
"This morning, we suddenly received horrific news," he said. Former councillor and Subir's friend Parthapratim Ghosh said: "It is an extremely tragic incident... The death of these people from Alipurduar is deeply heartbreaking."
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.