Tarapith, Aug. 17 -- At least six devotees died in a devastating fire that broke out at a hotel near the historic Tarapith Temple in West Bengal's Birbhum district during the early hours of Monday, police said.
Several pilgrims were critically injured in the tragedy, which occurred on the final Monday of the holy Bengali month of Shravana.
All the injured were rushed to Rampurhat Medical College Hospital for urgent medical treatment.
The five-storey Hotel Bideshinj was packed with pilgrims who had travelled to the town to offer special prayers to Lord Shiva.
According to sources, the fire erupted on the ground floor before spreading rapidly to the upper floors. A preliminary investigation suggests that an electrical short circuit trigge...