Fire tears through hotel in Kolkata, killing at least 14 people

Police say a fire tore through a hotel in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata, killing at least 14 people. Senior police officer Manoj Kumar Verma told reporters that the fire broke out Tuesday evening at the Rituraj Hotel in central Kolkata and was doused after an effort that took six fire engines. The cause of the fire was not immediately clear. Photos and videos carried in Indian media showed people trying to escape through the windows and narrow ledges of the building. Fires are common in India, where builders and residents often flout building laws and safety codes. In 2022, at least 27 people were killed when a massive fire tore though a four-story commercial building in New Delhi.