India Covid hospital fire kills 11

Author: AFP

Fire tore through a hospital in western India on Saturday killing at least 11 coronavirus patients, officials said.

The blaze was the latest to hit pandemic wards across India. There were about two dozen patients at the intensive care unit in the hospital in Ahmadnagar district, Maharashtra state when the fire broke out, officials said. Most of the dead were aged over 60.

The hospital ward, which was left a charred wreck, had been newly built for coronavirus patients. Maharashtra state chief minister Udhav Thackeray ordered a formal investigation into the blaze and safety conditions at the hospital 250 kilometres (185 miles) from the regional capital Mumbai.

India’s underfunded public health system was pushed to breaking point by a coronavirus surge in April-May. But a number of Covid-19 hospitals were hit by fire tragedies. At least 16 Covid-19 patients and two nurses were killed in a blaze at a hospital in Gujarat state in May. A police investigation blamed a short-circuit in the hospital’s ICU. In April, at least 13 Covid-19 patients were killed at a Mumbai clinic, which came just days after another hospital blaze in the city that left 22 dead.

Share
Leave a Comment

Recent Posts

  • Editorial

Policing Police

It's time to talk about the elephant in the room. Karachi, the largest city in…

1 hour ago
  • Editorial

Shutdown Averted

That the torchbearers of the modern, civilised world must have had a word or two…

1 hour ago
  • Op-Ed

Fostering Constructive Relations with Bangladesh

"Bangladesh-India relationship is multifaceted and expansive, it cannot be confined to a single issue," definitely…

2 hours ago
  • Op-Ed

The Haqeeqi Azaadi Paradox (Part I)

In a small village, there was a wise elder who told the villagers during times…

2 hours ago
  • Op-Ed

Polarization and Democracy

A marked degree of divergence of opinion is seen among major political parties in Pakistan.…

2 hours ago
  • Op-Ed

Misinformation Crisis

In the chaotic landscape of today's media, the rise of fake news looms like a…

2 hours ago