Kolkata, Aug. 19 -- A labyrinth of cramped rooms, narrow passages and makeshift interiors turned Sikha Inn on Mirza Ghalib Street into a death trap when a fire broke out in the heart of New Market early Wednesday, killing nine people, most of them Bangladeshi nationals who had come to Kolkata for medical treatment.
The blaze, which erupted around 2:30 am, caught the occupants asleep. Preliminary investigations suggest that an AC short circuit may have triggered the fire. With no proper fire exit, several guests were unable to escape and died of suffocation.
What has shocked the authorities even more is the alleged manner in which the hotel was operating.
The building, an old and cramped structure, had as many as six hotels, with differen...