At least nine people, including a child, were killed after a massive fire broke out at a hotel in Kolkata in the early hours of Wednesday. The blaze erupted around 2:00 am, trapping several guests inside the building and triggering a major rescue operation. Initial reports suggest the fire may have been triggered by an air-conditioner explosion, though the exact cause is yet to be confirmed. The fire broke out at a hotel on Free School Street near New Market, one of the city’s busiest and most densely populated areas.
