Kolkata

Firefighters and volunteers shout for more water from the building on fire in Kolkata.

The death toll reportedly soared to 24 on Wednesday in a fire which broke out in the Stephen Court building in the heart of Kolkata's bustling Park Street on Tuesday.

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While four bodies were found Tuesday night, 14 other charred bodies were discovered early on Wednesday from the sixth floor of the high-rise, an officer in the state police control room said.

Twelve bodies have been identified so far. Twenty people, who were in the residential-cum-commercial building at the time of the fire, were still missing.

With the fire under control in all four blocks of the heritage building, police and fire brigade personnel were conducting intense searches in rooms on the upper floors, staircases and terraces.

"Four completely charred bodies were recovered from the sixth floor of the building a little before midnight. Fourteen other bodies were found early on Wednesday," police said.

The death of six people, most of whom had jumped from the upper floors in a desperate bid to save themselves from the fire, had been reported on Tuesday evening.

Twenty people were injured in the blaze that swept through the upper floors of the eight-storied building which houses mainly call centres, other offices and residences.

A forensic team is scheduled to visit the building on Wednesday to collect samples in order to ascertain the cause of the fire. The Stephen Court houses the popular Peter Cat restaurant and is close to the iconic Flurys tea room.