A deadly fire broke out at Rituraj Hotel in Kolkata’s Burrabazar area on Tuesday evening, killing at least 15 people, including two children and a woman.

The blaze erupted around 7:30 PM in the densely populated neighborhood, quickly spreading through the six-story building.

At the time, 88 guests were staying at the hotel. Many victims died due to suffocation, while one person lost his life after jumping from the roof in an attempt to escape.

Rescue operations were hampered by narrow lanes, but firefighters managed to bring the flames under control after a 10-hour battle, though authorities say they are still carrying out rescue operations.

It’s not yet clear how the fire started. Police have set up a special investigation team to look into the incident.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief on X and announced financial aid for the victims’ families, stating he was “anguished by the loss of lives.”

Authorities have launched a Special Investigation Team to determine the cause of the fire and assess whether safety regulations were followed.

Videos show guests climbing onto ledges outside their room windows to escape the fire in Kolkata

According to the Indian Express newspaper, hydraulic ladders were used by firefighters to rescue those stranded on the ledges.

Manoj Kumar Verma, Kolkata police chief, said that the special investigation team will look into the difficulties faced by hotel guests in evacuating and whether fire exits were operational.

The state’s social welfare minister, Sashi Panja, called the fire an “unfortunate incident”.

“The fire brigade tried to rescue all the people but some of them unfortunately died because of suffocation,” she told reporters. “Two children were among those killed.”