KARUR: 14 people, including an elderly man and two minors from Karur district in Tamil Nadu, were killed in a fire accident at a hotel in Kolkata on Tuesday night.
According to police, the deceased from Karur were identified as Muthukrishnan (61), P Diya (10), and P Rithan (3), all from Uppidamangalam in Karur district.
Police said that Prabhu (40), an entrepreneur dealing in Aloe Vera by-products across the country, had been on a tour in Kolkata since April 17, along with his father-in-law Muthukrishnan, daughter Diya, son Rithan, and wife P Mathumitha. The family had been staying at the Rituraj Hotel on Madanmohan Street in the city's Burrabazar area.
At the time of the incident, Prabhu and his wife had stepped out of the hotel to buy dinner, while the others remained in their room.
All 14 victims, including the three from Karur, were unable to escape and died in the blaze, police sources said.
When contacted, Prabhu told TNIE that they had planned to check out of the hotel after dinner on April 29, Tuesday.
“We left Tiruchy on April 17, 2025, and toured various places across the state. We had been staying at the hotel for the past two days. We had already packed our luggage and were about to check out after dinner. My wife and I went downstairs to get food. Within a few minutes, everything was over. As there was no proper emergency exit, nobody could escape from the hotel,” he said.
District Collector M Thangavel spoke to Prabhu and assured him of assistance bringing the bodies back to Karur, Prabhu added