Ahmedabad Fire Accident: 8 Corona Patients Died

At least 8 patients died after a massive fire broke out at a private hospital for coronavirus patients in Gujarat's Ahmedabad early Thursday morning. The fire erupted at the fourth floor of the hospital located in Ahmedabad's Navrangpura area. Firefighters have managed to control the fire which broke out at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the hospital.

About 45 patients were admitted to the 50-bed hospital at the time of accident; rest of them have been rescued and shifted to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, a civic hospital in the city.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the deaths in his home state. "Saddened by the tragic hospital fire in Ahmedabad. Condolences to the bereaved families. May the injured recover soon. Spoke to CM  @vijayrupanibjp Ji and Mayor @ibijalpatel Ji regarding the situation. Administration is providing all possible assistance to the affected (sic)," he tweeted this morning.

A probe into the incident has been ordered by Gujarat Chief Minter Vijay Rupani and the hospital has been sealed. As per reports, the blaze broke out due to a short circuit. The bodies of the eight patients have been taken for postmortem.

"Ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh each from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of those who have lost their lives due to the hospital fire in Ahmedabad. Rs. 50,000 each would be given to those injured due to the hospital fire," a tweet by the Prime Minister's office read.