Tarapith Hotel Fire Kills Pilgrims; Owner Detained, Safety Lapses Probed

Early on Monday morning, a fire started in a hotel in Tarapith, a temple town in India where many people go to pray.

Eight people, most of them pilgrims who had come to offer prayers, sadly lost their lives, though one report said nine.

The fire started on the ground floor of the four-storey hotel while most guests were sleeping.

Firefighters rushed to the scene and worked for about three hours to put out the fire.

Some guests were hurt by burns, and others got sick from breathing smoke.

Police detained the hotel's owner, Kalyan Paul, to investigate whether the hotel was safe.

Fire officials think the fire may have been caused by a short circuit in the electricity.

Some guests said the hotel did not have proper fire safety and that emergency exits were locked, but the owner said there was an exit that people could not find because of darkness and smoke.

The government promised money to help the victims' families and ordered checks of other hotels in the town.