At least six persons were killed and seven others were critically injured in a massive hotel fire in the state capital on Thursday. Several other guests also suffered burn injuries in the incident.

The fire broke out around noon at the ground floor of the six-storeyed Hotel Pal near Patna Junction and quickly spread upwards, trapping dozens of people amid flames and smoke.

The fire brigade also rushed with fire tenders and rescue equipment to deal with the situation. It took several hours to douse the fire and rescue the people and dead bodies.

“It is a heart-rending incident. Six people have lost their lives in the fire at the hotel,” chief minister Nitish Kumar said and directed the officials to ensure proper medical treatment of the injured.

Bihar governor Rajendra Arlekar also expressed grief over the loss of lives.

Police officials said that there were three men and three women among the dead.

“We are trying to identify the deceased so that their families could be informed. A special team has been constituted to probe into the cause of fire,” city superintendent of police (Patna Central) Chandra Prakash said.

Fire services director general Shobha Ohatker said that 60 fire tenders, five hydraulic rescue cranes and ladders were pressed in the rescue operation in which “over 20 people were rescued.”

Eyewitnesses said that the fire started from the kitchen, which was located on the front end of the ground floor.

“I do not know whether it was due to a leakage from the LPG cylinder or some problem with the stove, but I saw flames rising a few feet high in the hotel’s kitchen. It soon spread everywhere,” said Mohan Kumar, a street vendor selling goods around Patna Junction.