Tarapith: At least seven people were killed and several others critically injured in a fire at a hotel in West Bengal's Birbhum district early on Monday, police said.
The fire erupted around 5 am on the ground floor of the four-storey hotel in the temple town of Tarapith, when most of the guests were asleep, they said.
Fire tenders were rushed to the spot, and they brought the blaze under control.
The injured were taken to the Rampurhat Government Medical College and Hospital.
Sources in the hospital initially said that five people had died in the blaze. However, police later revised the toll to seven.
"The death toll is seven now," a senior official said.
Hotel officials claimed the fire was caused by a short circuit.
A woman from Kolkata, who managed to escape the blaze, recalled the panic inside the hotel. "Suddenly, the entire hotel was engulfed in smoke. We could not breathe, and it was hard to find an escape route," she said..
Officials said some of the victims were pilgrims who had come to the town to offer prayers at the famous Kali temple.
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