Six critically ill patients have been killed in a fire that broke out at an intensive care unit (ICU) of a hospital in the western Indian city of Jaipur.
The fire, suspected to be caused by a short circuit, started late on Sunday night in the storage area of the ICU of the Sawai Man Singh Hospital. Eleven patients were in the ICU at the time.
The victims include two women and four men. Relatives of the victims have accused staff of negligence, which hospital authorities have denied.
The government of Rajasthan state, of which Jaipur is the capital, has announced an investigation into the incident.
The state’s Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma said on Sunday. “Every possible step is being taken to ensure patient safety, treatment, and care for those affected, and the situation is being continuously monitored,”
The Sawai Man Singh hospital, run by the state government, is one of the largest in Rajasthan, where thousands of patients are treated every day.
The fire broke out just before midnight in the trauma centre of the hospital and soon spread through the building.
Fourteen patients were evacuated from a nearby ICU ward as thick plumes of smoke engulfed the room.
Firefighters broke open windows and battled the blaze for nearly two hours before bringing it under control, news agency PTI reported.
“We noticed smoke and immediately informed the staff, but they did not pay any heed. When the fire broke out, they were the first to run,” one of them told PTI.
Another relative, who lost his mum in the accident, alleged the hospital also did not have any emergency equipment. “There were no fire extinguishers, cylinders or even water to douse the fire,” he told ANI news agency.
The deputy superintendent of the hospital,Jagdish Modi, has dismissed the allegations.
“I can understand people’s sentiments in such a situation, but the allegations are untrue. Several hospital staff members risked their own lives to protect the patients and evacuated ICUs and wards,” he told the BBC.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his sadness over the incident. “Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon,” he wrote on X.
BBC/Adebukola Aluko
