At least nine people were killed and six others injured in the eastern city of Kolkata after a fire broke out in the early hours of Wednesday, authorities said.

The blaze erupted at around 1:45am in central Kolkata, a few doors away from the city’s fire department headquarters, the Press Trust of India (PTI) reported. The building housed several small hotels.

Five fire-fighting units were deployed to manage the fire while police and rescue teams reached the spot.

Some 80 people had been rescued from the fire, as per the report.

What did officials say?

Fire Department Minister Kaushik Chowdhury said the deceased included both Indian and Bangladeshi nationals.

“We are trying to establish their identities. The situation inside this building is very bad. There are several hotels inside this building. I am shocked to see what was going on here,” Chowdhury said.

The minister added that a short circuit could have caused the blaze but an accurate reason would be available only after a forensic examination.

“The building management did not comply with basic safety and construction norms. It is alleged that there were several irregularities in the functioning of the hotel,” the minister added.

Meanwhile, a police officer told PTI that dense smoke made it difficult for fire fighters to reach the upper floors. “While nine people have died, more deaths are feared,” the officer said.

“Our priority is to rescue those trapped and determine the reasons for the fire. The flames have been doused, but the building is very, very hot. The cooling process is underway,” he added.

A different police officer said the owner of the building was absconding and that a case was being registered against him.

The incident comes just days after a hotel fire killed at least eight people in the Tarapith, a temple town located in the same state as Kolkata. Building fires are a common occurrence in India where old wiring and lax safety measures cause hundreds of deaths every year.

DW