5 Bangladeshi Nationals Among 9 Killed in Kolkata Hotel Fire
KOLKATA — Five Bangladeshi citizens are among the nine people killed in a devastating fire that swept through a residential hotel near the New Market area in Kolkata, West Bengal, early Wednesday morning.
Bangladesh’s Deputy High Commission in Kolkata confirmed the identities of the victims to local media after diplomatic officials inspected the local police station and morgue.
Victim Identification and Details
According to Deputy High Commissioner Mohammad Khaled, four of the deceased victims were from Kushtia, Bangladesh, while one hailed from Dhaka.
The victims have been identified as:
- Debashis Dutta (Kushtia)
- Afsana Shimmin (Kushtia)
- Sharnashish Dutta (Kushtia)
- Md Akram Ali (Kushtia)
- Ahmed Babu (Savar, Dhaka)
Local authorities reported that a total of nine people died in the blaze. While five victims have been formally identified as Bangladeshi nationals, the identities of the remaining four casualties remain unverified by police.
Diplomatic Response and Ongoing Search
In a formal press release issued Wednesday, Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that officials were deployed to the scene immediately following reports of the tragedy to coordinate with Indian authorities and assist victims.
“Officials from the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata went to the scene immediately after learning of the incident to gather information about the dead and injured,” the ministry stated.
Diplomatic representatives are continuing coordination with local law enforcement to determine if any additional Bangladeshi citizens were affected by the fire.
Treatment of the Injured
Authorities confirmed that six other Bangladeshi citizens sustained injuries in the incident. All six received initial medical treatment at local facilities and have since been discharged.
