On Friday midnight, a fire broke out at Bharuch Welfare Hospital on the Bharuch-Jambusar route, killing eighteen people. A short-circuit in the Covid ward caused a fire in the trust-run hospital about 12.35 a.m., which quickly spread to the ICU. Officials say 14 people have died, with the number expected to rise.
According to sources, the hospital had a large number of Covid cases, including 20 critical patients in the ICU. Confusion reigned after the fire broke out, but several patients were eventually transferred to Bharuch Civil Hospital, Sevashram Hospital, Gujarat Hospital, and Al-Mahmood General Hospital.
At least 12 fire trucks were dispatched to put out the blaze, and 40 ambulances were dispatched to transport the victims to other hospitals.
Hundreds of people raced to the hospital as word of the fire spread, all of whom were families of the patients. Patients’ relatives were seen wailing and attempting to obtain details.
“Total 50 persons were in the hospital of whom 32 were rescued while 18 died. The deceased include 16 patients and two nurses,” said R V Chudasma, SP, Bharuch.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed grief at the incident. “Pained by the loss of lives due to a fire at a hospital in Bharuch. Condolences to the bereaved families,” he tweeted.
Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani announced Rs 4 lakh ex-gratia from CM relief fund to each kin of the deceased. Two senior IAS officers Vipul Mittra and Raj Kumar Beniwal have been asked to probe the incident.
In the last year, this is the 5th incident of fire at Covid designated hospital. In the past, the fire had broken out at hospitals in Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Rajkot, and Jamnagar.
According to the state bulletin, Gujarat added 14,327 new Covid-19 cases and 180 deaths on Thursday, suggesting a slower growth rate in cases since April 24 but a growing number of fatalities.
