Nine die, including five Bangladeshis, in overnight lodge fire on Kolkata's Free School Street

Around 1.40 am on Wednesday, a fire likely sparked by a short circuit in the reception of Shikha Inn spread through a five-storey structure on Free School Street, Kolkata, filling rooms with smoke. Nine occupants - five Bangladeshis, including a family of four from Kushtia and another guest - were found dead in their beds, having died of asphyxiation rather than burns. Approximately 80 people were rescued from the building, which also contains other lodges, eateries and offices.

Kolkata Police have formed a Special Investigation Team, while the Kolkata Municipal Corporation set up a five-member panel to audit fire safety across city hotels. Investigators are seeking Bireswar Mitra, the owner of the property, and officials noted that the lodge operated without proper fire-safety clearances or functional alarms.