A fire broke out at the hanging restaurant inside Kolkata's iconic Biswa Bangla Gate in New Town on Vijaya Dashami evening, triggering panic as smoke billowed from the restaurant and sparks rained down onto the road 82 feet below, eyewitnesses told India Today.

Source: India Today via News89

Around 6.30 pm, approximately 50 to 60 guests were dining at the restaurant, the only one of its kind in Kolkata, when the fire suddenly broke out. Police stopped traffic on the main road beneath the gate as a precaution, and all guests and staff were promptly evacuated to safety. No casualties or injuries have been reported.

Bidhannagar Police Commissioner Amit Kumar Bharat Rathore reached the spot after receiving information about the incident, along with senior officers from New Town and Techno City police stations. The commissioner said the fire, which broke out in the section housing the restaurant atop the gate, was brought under control quickly through the joint efforts of the fire department and the police.

Fire department officials and the West Bengal Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (HIDCO) are now investigating the cause of the blaze, including whether it was triggered by a short circuit or a malfunction in the kitchen. Nation Press, reporting the same incident, said the 50 to 60 diners were evacuated safely and only the swift police and fire response prevented a worse outcome.

Source: Nation Press