AT LEAST SEVEN PEOPLE KILLED IN HOTEL FIRE

TARAPITH, AUGUST 17 /SRNA/ – At least seven people were killed and several others injured in a fire that broke out on the ground floor of a four-story hotel in Tarapith, a temple town in the Birbhum district of the Indian state of West Bengal, the Press Trust of India reported.

Firefighters brought the blaze under control, while the injured were taken to hospital. Some were treated for burns, while others suffered the effects of smoke inhalation and suffocation, the report said.

Hotel management told the agency that the fire likely broke out near the reception area after an electrical component in the hotel’s electrical system caught fire.

Authorities are investigating the incident and have not yet determined its exact cause.

Many of the hotel’s guests were pilgrims who had visited Tarapith to pray. The town is home to a large temple complex that includes a shrine dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva.