A journalist and three members of his family were among nine people killed in a fire at a residential hotel in Kolkata early today.

The deceased were Debashish Dutta, 37, Kushtia correspondent of Ajker Patrika and Channel 9; his wife, Afsana Shimmin, 25; their two-year-old son, Swarnashish Dutta; and his father-in-law, Akram Ali, 64.

According to Gazi Mahbub Rahman, editor of local daily Ajker Alo, the four had travelled to India for medical treatment on August 3.

Akram had been staying in Kolkata, while Debashish, his wife and their son had been in Bengaluru and arrived in Kolkata only yesterday to join him.

Debashish also served as executive editor of Ajker Alo.

Debashish's mother suffered a stroke a few days ago and his sister is currently hospitalised with dengue, Gazi Mahbub said, adding that his brother-in-law was already on his way to Kolkata after learning about the incident.

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Photo: Collected from Facebook

Bangladesh's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that at least five of the nine people killed in the fire at Shikha Inn early today have been identified as Bangladeshi nationals.

Mahishur, a member of a local welfare committee in Kolkata, identified another Bangladeshi victim as 37-year-old Ahmed Babu from Savar, Dhaka.

Another victim was identified as 19-year-old Sandeep Paswan from Giridih district in India's Jharkhand state, he said.

The identities of the remaining three victims have yet to be confirmed. The hospital and local administration are taking necessary steps to identify them, and further details are expected once the identification process is completed.

Note: This report has been updated with correct information at 5:50pm.