Fire Breaks Out in ICU of Indian Hospital... 11 Dead

▲ At 11 a.m. (local time), a fire broke out in the COVID-19 intensive care unit on the first floor of a hospital in Ahmednagar City, Maharashtra State, India. [Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] A fire broke out in the intensive care unit (ICU) for COVID-19 patients at a local hospital in India, resulting in the deaths of 11 people.

According to the Hindustan Times and others on the 7th, a fire occurred on the first floor ICU for COVID patients at a hospital in Ahmednagar city, Maharashtra state, at 11 a.m. local time the previous day.

At the time, it was understood that about 20 patients were admitted, including 15 critically ill patients on ventilators or receiving oxygen support.

Firefighters responded, but faced difficulties evacuating the critically ill patients through the fire after removing them from ventilators.

The major blaze was brought under control around 1:30 p.m. the same day.

Among the ICU patients, 10 died in the fire, and another patient died from severe injuries while undergoing treatment.

The hospital ICU was newly established 18 months ago in response to the COVID-19 crisis.

The fire chief of Ahmednagar city said that although the hospital had fire extinguishers, other firefighting equipment such as sprinklers were not installed due to budget constraints.

Authorities are investigating the exact cause of the fire, considering the possibility of an electrical short circuit.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed sorrow upon hearing the news of the accident, stating, "I am deeply saddened by the loss of lives due to the hospital fire," and extended condolences to the bereaved families and wished for the speedy recovery of the injured.

In India, in August last year, eight patients died in a fire at a COVID-19 specialized hospital in Gujarat state, and 11 died in a fire at a hotel used as a COVID-19 facility in Andhra Pradesh state in the same month.

In Maharashtra state, about 10 COVID-19 patients lost their lives in hospital fires in Mumbai in March and in Virar in April this year.

In May, a fire at a hospital in Bharuch, Gujarat state, resulted in the deaths of 16 COVID-19 patients and 2 medical staff members.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.