The death toll from the Jan. 26, 2026 fire near Kolkata has climbed to 21, after police recovered 13 additional bodies from the charred structures on Thursday. Authorities said 28 people remain missing, raising concerns that the number of casualties may rise further, according to NDTV.
The massive blaze had engulfed and destroyed two godowns and a Wow! Momo manufacturing unit in Anandapur, located in South 24 Parganas district on the outskirts of Kolkata.
"Given the nature of the incident and the extent of damage, the possibility of the toll going up cannot be ruled out," a senior police officer said told NDTV.
In a statement, the quick service restaurant and packaged food company Wow! Momo said the blaze, which broke out around 3 a.m. on Monday at a neighbouring warehouse, spread rapidly into one of its godown premises, leading to a complete burnout of the facility.
The company said two of its employees and one contracted security guard lost their lives in the incident.
According to the statement, the fire reportedly originated due to unauthorised cooking activities at the adjoining warehouse. "This fire engulfed not only our men, but our spirit too," the statement read.
Expressing grief over the loss of lives, Wow! Momo said its officials met the families of all three deceased persons and assured them of long-term support beyond statutory and government benefits.
“As part of its commitment, the company announced a lump-sum compensation of Rs 10 lakh to each affected family, lifetime monthly salary support for the bereaved families and education support for the children of the deceased,” the statement continued.
The company added that it is fully cooperating with administrative and government authorities in the ongoing investigation into the fire.
The West Bengal government will provide an ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh each for the families of those killed in the blaze, Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim said on Tuesday.
The compensation will be handed over once the bodies or body parts are identified, Hakim said, adding that permission would be sought from a court on Wednesday to conduct DNA tests.
One person was arrested in connection with the fire incident.
(With PTI inputs.)
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