West Bengal: Seven Pilgrims Killed, Several Critically Injured in Tarapith Hotel Fire

Birbhum: At least seven people have been charred to death as a massive fire erupted inside a private hotel in the temple town of Tarapith here in Birbhum district of West Bengal, officials said on Monday.

When did it happen?

Around 4 am the fire erupted on the ground floor of the four-storeyed hotel. Two fire tenders were rushed to the spot to get hold over the situation. These pictures and videos shows a glimpse of firefighting officials and the police working to extinguish the massive blaze.

Locals have been assisting the officials as well. However, with the situation now brought under control, the locals are afraid that the casualty figure may go up further. 

STORY | Seven killed, several injured in hotel fire in West Bengal's 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… pic.twitter.com/JBPHniXktA

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 17, 2026

What did the police say? 

The incident started when there was an outbreak of fire from one of the AC units of the hotel, which then spread very quickly.

Preliminary investigations suggest that the hotel was devoid of basic fire safety mechanism and the alarm too didn't work when needed. As per official sources, a thorough investigation will be carried out here soon.

Several individuals sustained injuries during this event, however, they have been shifted to the Rampurhat Government Medical College and Hospital. Officials also stated that incident happened at a time when people have swelled Tarapith to offer prayers at the famous Kali temple.  

"I saw that the whole hotel got engulfed with fire. So many people here couldn’t get out because of this smoke. Also, people are facing problem regarding their breaths," female guest (from Kolkata) said.