At least 22 people were killed when a fire broke out at a private hospital in India's eastern state of Odisha on Monday, officials said. The fire erupted in the dialysis ward of the SUM hospital's critical-care unit in the state capital, Bhubaneswar, public health officials said.
Preliminary information showed the fire started after an electrical short-circuit, media said.
Many of the 22 dead were elderly people who had suffocated to death, CR Nayak, the state's director of health services, told reporters.
Ambulances took more than 120 patients to other hospitals, officials said, while firemen battled to control the flames. Some of the wounded patients were still in critical condition.
"We are trying our best to save lives," said Arti Ahuja, an official of the state's health and family welfare department.
The tragedy was "mind-numbing", said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who urged the federal health minister to hasten the transfer of injured victims to a nearby government hospital, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences.
Deeply anguished by the loss of lives in the hospital fire in Odisha. The tragedy is mind-numbing. My thoughts are with bereaved families.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 17, 2016
Spoke to Minister @JPNadda & asked him to facilitate transfer of all those injured to AIIMS. Hope the injured recover quickly. — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 17, 2016
Spoke to CM @Naveen_Odisha about the distressing hospital fire tragedy. Assured all possible support from the Centre.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 17, 2016
Survivors thank luck, but critical patients perish
26-year-old Baina Behera was undergoing dialysis last evening when suddenly flames from a fire ripped through the first floor of the private Sum hospital. Behera considers himself fortunate to be alive, recalling how he asked the doctor to stop the dialysis and broke a window pane without waiting for any help and descended to the ground safely holding on to a water pipe.
But some critical patients, who were in the dialysis unit and the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), could not survive. As many as 22 patients perished in the fire with most of them dying due to asphyxia.
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Families of some victims and accused the hospital management of not undertaking the evacuation process properly. Hospital authorities, however, maintained that there was no lapse on their part and that the evacuation protocol had been strictly followed during the rescue operation.
The blaze was suspected to have been triggered by an electric short circuit in the dialysis ward on the first floor which spread to the adjacent ICU, where some patients were on ventilator support.
The nurse at the dialysis unit, said she continued to remain till all the people were evacuated safely. “I along with other nurses at the nearby medicine ICU ensured that all the patients get shifted. It was smoke and fire every where,” the shocked nurse said, adding that she too required to overcome the trauma.
3 employees suspended
The hospital officials suspended three electricians and more action will follow, dean Jyotiranjan Dash said, patients who left on Tuesday evening amid the fire were returning to their beds. Poisonous carbon monoxide fumes spread through air-conditioner ducts following an electric short-circuit in the hospital, sources said.
The fire brigade men broke through the windows to evacuate the patients through slings and skylift. It took six fire engines and three hours to bring the blaze under control.