3 from Jagatsinghpur among 14 killed in Kolkata hotel fire

Kendrapada: Three individuals from Jagatsinghpur district were among the 14 people who lost their lives in a devastating fire that engulfed a hotel in Kolkata on Tuesday night.
The deceased have been identified as Manoj Kumar Patra (45) from Nandan village, and Dusmanta Nayak (46) and Dusmanta Kumar Swain (46), both from Haripapa village. Patra, who was a senior manager at a private finance company in Bhubaneswar, was travelling with his brother-in-law Nayak and their common friend Swain.
The trio had checked into the hotel in north's Kolkata Mechhua wholesale fruit market and were planning to attend the inauguration of a wheat mandi in Purnia, Bihar, the following day. The mandi belonged to an acquaintance of Manoj. Arabinda, Dusmanta's brother-in-law, said all three died of suffocation, quoting police in Kolkata.
Another person from the state, Akash Agarwal (30), a Bargarh businessman, was rescued by the fire service personnel.
In Nandan village, Patra's 78-year-old widowed mother, Sarala, and his wife Laxmipriya are struggling to come to terms with their loss. "We are now facing an uphill task after the death of Manoj," said a grieving Sarala.
Similar scenes of mourning unfolded in Haripapa village, where Dusmanta's 75-year-old mother, Charulata, sat in shocked silence. His father, Kashinath Nayak (78), demanded accountability. "We want punishment for the hotel owner who is responsible for the death of 14 people, including my son," he said.
Heart-rending scenes were witnessed in both villages, 12 km away from each other, as relatives and neighbours gathered to mourn the deceased. "It is a sad moment. We will miss Manoj. It is a shock for me that he has left the world," said Maheswar Patra, a villager.
Family members have rushed to Kolkata to bring back the bodies for the last rites. Arabinda, who was on his way to Kolkata, has appealed for govt assistance in transporting the bodies back to their respective villages.