Kolkata, Aug. 21 -- The nine persons who perished in a devastating hotel fire in central Kolkata on Wednesday died after inhaling toxic smoke, though their bodies also had burn marks, initial post mortem findings indicate.
None of the victims of the Shikha Inn fire tragedy were burnt to death, the reports indicate.
Experts informed police that the victims lost consciousness due to inhaling the toxic smoke while the hotel was still ablaze and before the firefighters could arrive.
Intense heat generated by the fire caused the bodies to burn. But as they were unconscious they could not feel the burning sensation and thus did not cry out.
The police are now largely certain that suffocation caused by toxic carbon monoxide gas was the primary...