The blaze, which began around 9.30pm, consumed the three-storied wooden structure, a beloved site in the Dooars renowned for its proximity to one-horned rhinos.

Departing from Cape Canaveral in Florida, Williams, 58, alongside fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore, is scheduled to launch to the International Space Station (ISS) in what could mark a significant milestone for Boeing's space program.

At least three persons died in a fire that broke out in a hotel close to the Patna junction railway station on Thursday, a senior official said.

Seven family members tragically died in a fire at Dana Bazar, including Hamida Begum, Waseem, Sohel, Tanveer, Reshma, and two children. Efforts are ongoing to locate the eighth person.

Initial investigation suggested that the fire originated from a spark in the pendant socket of the operation theatre.

The charred remains were on Friday identified as those of three family members - 51-year-old Rajiv Warikoo; his wife, 47-year-old Shilpa Kotha; and their 16-year-old daughter, Mahek Warikoo.

"We got information from the hospital that four people - two children and a married couple died due to suffocation. Further investigation is on," a senior police officer said.  

Some sanitation workers noticed smoke at the Vallabh Bhawan — as the secretariat building is officially known — around 9.30 am, following which the fire brigade was alerted, sources said.

The fire broke out around 9:50 pm on Thursday at a popular restaurant named “Kacchi Bhai” on the building’s first floor and quickly spread to the upper floors that had more restaurants and a garment shop, according to fire service officials.

The incident took place at around 5 am in the Azad Nagar slum, Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) Commissioner Sanjay Katkar said.  

The embassy affirmed its commitment to providing all possible assistance in facilitating the repatriation of Khan's mortal remains to India.