Hotel fire kills 15 in India

File: Fire outbreak

A fierce fire ripped through a hotel in the Indian city of Kolkata killing at least 15 people, police said Wednesday, with some clambering out of windows and onto the rooftop to escape.

Several people were rescued from rooms and roof of the budget hotel, Kolkata police chief, Manoj Verma, told AFP, after the fire broke out on Tuesday evening.

“The death toll has risen to 15, including two children and a woman,” said Verma, adding that an investigation had been launched to find out what triggered the blaze.

“The hotel turned into a gas chamber and it appears that many people suffocated to death,” he added.