Milan, 30 April (LaPresse) – A fire broke out in a six-storey hotel in Kolkata's Burrabazar district, one of the oldest and busiest. At least 15 people died. Most of them died of suffocation, while one person died after jumping from the building in an attempt to escape the flames. The fire broke out around 7.30pm (3pm yesterday in Italy) at the Rituraj Hotel, located on Madanmohan Street. Ten fire engines were sent to the scene and the fire was extinguished at around 1am (9.30pm in Italy). According to the police, most of the people killed in the fire were guests who were trapped in the hotel. Local media reported that. ‘A special team has been set up to investigate the cause of the fire and check the security measures in place. The investigation will also look into the difficulties encountered by the guests during the evacuation from the building,’ Police Commissioner Manoj Kumar Verma told reporters. The Rituraj Hotel, according to local residents, is built over a commercial warehouse. When the fire broke out, as smoke filled the stairs and corridors, some guests made their way to the roof. Others were seen clinging to the narrow parapets outside the windows. Firefighters used ladders to rescue those stuck on the ledges, while those on the terrace used torches on their phones to call for help.
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