24 feared dead. Hundreds injured in Kolkata fire

PTI

Kolkata, March 23: Eight more bodies were recovered from the 150-year-old heritage building in upscale Park Street, raising the toll in the devastating fire that swept the building yesterday to 24, fire brigade sources said today.

Firefighters who began search operations last night from the top floor of the Stephen Court, housing restaurants, offices and residences, said the bodies were mainly recovered from the fifth and sixth floors of the seven-storeyed building.

Stating that the fire was completely under control although smoke was billowing out from one or two pockets, police said 20 of the injured were admitted to various hospitals.

So far six of the dead have been identified. Missing reports had been filed for 29 others, they said.

The sources said the search operations were continuing this morning but it was unlikely that there were any bodies trapped in the building.

 

 

"Firemen were conducting routine checks whether the fire has been totally doused when they first found four bodies lying on the sixth floor.

Then, six more bodies were spotted on the same floor," the sources said. "It’’s not possible to say whether they were male or female.

They were charred beyond recognition," they said. Amid reports of a number of missing persons, the fire brigade personnel continued searching for more bodies, if any, using powerful torch lights as the entire building, located in the upmarket Park Street, has been plunged into darkness.

 

 

 

Of the 30 injured, 20 were admitted to SSKM Hospital, Sambhunath Pandit Hospital and Mercy Hospital, the sources said, adding five of them are in the ICU. Firemen and locals rescued 40 people from the burning building, where 45 fire tenders fought for over eight hours and brought the flames under control.

Stating that the fire could have been caused by an electrical short circuit or bursting of a gas cylinder, Fire Services Minister Pratim Chatterjee announced a compensation of Rs one lakh for the families of each of the deceased.

 

Major fires in Kolkata

The Park Street blaze Tuesday is the third big fire in Kolkata in the last two years that has resulted in huge loss of property and many injuries.

The fire at Park Street follows two major fires, one of them in Burra Bazar in 2008.

The city’s biggest wholesale market was destroyed in that fire that resulted in losses worth crores of rupees affecting almost 2,500 shops.

There was also a huge fire in a slum near the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass on March 5 this year when over 100 shanties were gutted. At least 20 fire engines were pressed into service to douse the flames.