Maharashtra Hospital Fire: Fire broke out last night at Vijay Vallabh Hospital.
At least 13 coronavirus patients who were in the ICU have died in a fire at a hospital in Maharashtra's Virar, about 70 km from state capital Mumbai.
"Around 90 patients were admitted to the hospital at the time of the incident," Dilip Shah, CEO, Vijay Vallabh Hospital, told reporters this morning.
Visuals captured the chaos after the incident as medical staff moved out other patients to safety. Family members and friends of patients, waiting outside, said they had rushed to the hospital as soon as they got the news.
The incident comes as Maharashtra battles the second wave of coronavirus and an unprecedented surge in Covid infections. Over 67,000 fresh cases have been reported since yesterday. With a total caseload of over 40 lakh infections, Maharashtra is the worst-hit state in the country by the pandemic.
"I got a call at around 3 am from a friend whose mother-in-law was admitted to the hospital. As I reached the hospital, I saw fire engines outside. The ICU at the second floor was engulfed in smoke. Only two nurses were there, and I couldn't see a doctor. It took firefighters about half an hour to put out the flames. We could see eight-ten bodies there," Avinash Patil, an eyewitness, told reporters.
Rejecting claims that there were no doctors at the hospital last night, Dilip Shah said: "Doctors were present". He also stressed that the hospital is following all fire safety norms.
Maharashtra was struck by another tragedy on Wednesday when 24 Covid patients died in Nashik after an oxygen tanker leaked outside a hospital, disrupting supply to patients for around 30 minutes. Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted his condolences and called the tragedy "heart-wrenching".
