At least five patients died after a fire broke out in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a Covid designated hospital in Gujarat’s Rajkot on Friday. Twenty-seven other coronavirus patients being treated at the hospital were rescued.
The cause of the fire is not known yet, but reports say that a short circuit may have led to the fire. The fire broke out in the ICU of the Uday Shivanand Multispecialty hospital around 3 a.m. The Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani ordered a probe into the incident, which has been entrusted to Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) Panchayat and Rural Development Department, A.K. Rakesh.
Expressing grief over the incident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted: “Extremely pained by the loss of lives due to a hospital fire in Rajkot. My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones in this unfortunate tragedy. Praying for a quick recovery of the injured. The administration is ensuring all possible assistance to the affected.” The Chief Minister announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh each to the kin of the victims.
