Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Nov 6: At least 11 patients died and six others injured in a fire that broke out in the intensive care unit of a Covid-19 ward in the civil hospital in Ahmednagar in Maharashtra on Saturday.
The injured were shifted to another Covid hospital and were under treatment, the District Collector Rajendra Bhosle told reporters, adding that a ‘fire audit’ of the structure had been conducted. The blaze erupted around 11 a.m. in the intensive care unit (ICU), where 20 COVID-19 patients were undergoing treatment, they said.
The fire was doused around 1.30 pm and the cooling operation is on, Fire brigade sources said adding that short circuit is suspected to be the cause behind it. A police official said that after the fire, the injured patients were rushed to a nearby hospital, where 11 of them were declared brought dead.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted in the evening to say he was “anguished by the loss of lives.” “Anguished by the loss of lives due to a fire in a hospital in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra. Condolences to the bereaved families. May the injured recover at the earliest”, he said.
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has ordered a probe into the tragedy, and announced ₹ 5 lakh compensation for the families of those who died. The cause of the blaze, which has now been extinguished, is as yet unknown, but preliminary investigations by the fire department suggest it started due to an electrical short circuit, Bhosle said.
Visuals show smoke pouring out of the lower floors of the hospital. Others show some people slowly re-entering the ward after the fire was put out, with soot-stained walls and broken ceiling panels visible. Other videos show the heart-breaking sight of doctors desperately trying to revive some of those caught in the fire, and those fortunate to be shifted out can be seen waiting in the courtyard.
Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik said the ICU had been newly built for the express purpose of treating coronavirus patients, and the fact that a fire had broken out was a “very serious issue.” Malik said all hospitals had been asked to undertake a ‘fire audit’ and that the Ahmednagar Civil Hospital’s report in this regard would be checked. A thorough investigation would take place, he said.
The minister also said Chief Minister Thackeray extended his condolences to the families of those who had died, and assured them of every possible support. Former Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis tweeted calling for “strict action against all responsible people.” “Very shocking and disturbing news from Ahmednagar. My deepest condolences to the families who lost their loved ones… Praying for speedy recovery of the injured. In-depth inquiry should be conducted & strict action against all responsible people!” he tweeted.
This was the third fire incident in Covid hospitals in Maharashtra during the last few months. At least 14 patients had died in a fire accident in a Covid hospital in Virar, about 70 kilometres from Mumbai, in April. A month before that another fire in hospital which was housed in a Dreams Mall in Bhandup and was given permission to start a Covid ward, had caused the deaths of 10 patients.