Eight patients in the Intensive Care Unit of a private Covid-19 designated hospital in Ahmadabad died after a fire broke out on Thursday, a fire official reported.
As the blaze broke out at Shrey Hospital in Ahmedabad's Navrangpura area at around 3 AM, eight fire engines and 10 ambulances of the fire department were rushed to the site. Five men and three women - admitted to the ICU ward - died.
Senior IAS officers Sangeeta Singh and Mukesh Puri have been appointed to carry out the inquiry to find out the reasons behind the fire. The CM asked the report to be submitted within three days.
Also Read: First the Coronavirus and now a Tick Borne Virus?
The victims include Navin Shah (80) and Narendra Shah (61) from Dholka town, Manubhai Rami (82) from Memnagar area in Ahmedabad, Lilavati Shah, (72) of Vasna, Jyoti Sindhi (55) from Kheralu, Aarif Mansuri (42) from Vejalpur area, Arvind Bhavsar (78) from Memnagar and Ayesha Tirnizi (51) from Paldi area. Around 40 other COVID patients were rescued from the facility and relocated to Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) run SVP hospital at Ellisbridge
Initial reports suggest that following a spark in the ICU unit a few medical staff members in PPE kits had rushed inside to control the fire. But this rescue effort by the staff members was thwarted after the PPE kits caught fire. The fire also engulfed the oxygen supply system including a few cylinders and alcohol-based sanitisers which aggravated the incident.