14 killed in hotel fire in India

International

AT LEAST 14 people died in a fire that broke out at a hotel in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal.

Among the fatalities are two children, a report by BBC said.

Authorities are still investigating the cause of the fire that also injured two people.

The fire happened on Tuesday night at Rituraj Hotel in Kolkata city. Guests at the hotel were able to escape by climbing the building rooftop and used flashlights from their phone to signal for help.

Videos show people climbing onto ledges outside their room windows to escape the fire.

Firefighters used hydraulic ladders to rescue those stranded on the ledges, the Indian Express newspaper reported.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on X that he was "anguished by the loss of lives."

Modie assured that financial compensation will be given to the families of the victims.

Due to poor planning and lax enforcement of safety regulations, deadly fires are often reported in buildings in Indian cities.

A massive fire also struck a games arcade in the western state of Gujarat last year, where 27 people died. Months later, 10 newborns were killed in Uttar Pradesh state after a blaze broke out in the neonatal unit of a hospital in Jhansi district.