At least 30 people were injured in a panic-driven stampede as a fire broke out in the medicine ward of Rangpul Medical College Hospital yesterday.
One of the rooms in the ward got completely burnt in the fire, and it took three units of fire fighters nearly an hour to douse the fire.
This is the ninth incident of fire in the hospital in three months, hospital sources told the Dhaka Tribune.
Sources in police and fire service said the fire started in Ward 3 on the second floor of the hospital around 11am yesterday, spreading quickly.
Seeing the fire, the panicked doctors, nurses and patients rushed out of the hospital to find safety, and in that rush 30 people were injured.
Receiving information, three units of fire fighters rushed to the spot and doused the fire after around an hour's efforts.
Fire fighters said the fire started in the hospital's medicine department head Dr Debendra Nath's office, where the air conditioner caught fire and exploded.
Asked why there were so many incidents of fire in the hospital recently, the hospital's acting director Dr Shafiqul Islam said it was because of the ancient power lines and electronic equipment that have not been repaired in years.
Rangpur Fire Service Deputy Director Asadur Rahman said from what the fire fighters gathered during primary investigation, a short circuit may have sparked the fire.
“It could have been a major accident, but the fire service averted it by reponding quickly to the situation,” he added.
Friday, March 28, 2025
