Firefighters, cop among 7 dead in fire at central Kolkata office building

Seven people have been killed after a huge fire broke out in an office building in central Kolkata's Strand Road on Monday evening.

Among those dead are four firemen, a police officer and a Railway Protection Force staff, officials said.

Five of the seven bodies were found in an elevator.

Senior ministers and police officers reached the spot and firefighters are trying to put out the blaze.

Twenty-five fire trucks were sent in.

The fire started on the 13th floor of the New Koila Ghat Building, an office building shared by the Eastern Railway and the South Eastern Railway, next to the Hooghly river, around 6:30 pm.

The building houses railway ticketing offices and reports said online bookings have been hit with the power being switched off.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has announced ₹ 10 lakh compensation for the families of those killed.

Fire Minister Sujit Bose said he was "pained" by the incident and said an inquiry has been ordered about why the elevator was used by first responders.

"The SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) is not to use elevators," he said.

The cause of the fire is not yet known.

(NDTV)