Four days after a devastating fire at a hospital in Thane, Maharashtra claimed the lives of four patients, at least 18 COVID patients died after a fire broke out at a hospital in Gujarat's Bharuch in the early hours on Saturday.
Reports said the fire broke out at 1.am in the dedicated COVID hospital and within minutes it engulfed the whole four-storeyed building resulted in the deaths of at least 18 patients as of the filing of this report.
A news agency quoting a local police officer said that the death toll in the tragedy stood at 18. The 12 patients in the Covid-19 ward died due to the fire and resultant smoke. It is not clear if the remaining six also died in the Welfare Hospital or while being shifted to other hospitals.
There were around 50 other patients at the four-storeyed Welfare Hospital when the fire broke out in the Covid-19 ward at 1 am. They were rescued by locals and firefighters, the news agency, quoting an official, said.
A fire department official said a short circuit in the hospital could have triggered the fire. The exact cause of the fire will only be known after a detailed investigation
Fire in Thane Hospital
Earlier, four persons had lost their lives after a fire broke out at a private hospital in Thane district on Wednesday morning. Twenty patients were under treatment at Prime Criticare Hospital, a non-Covid healthcare facility in the Mumbra area of the district when it caught fire. Six of these patients were admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
Authorities said the deaths took place after the patients were shifted to various other hospitals.
