At least 11 patients were killed after a fire broke out in the trauma care Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Cuttack's SCB Medical College and Hospital, one of Odisha’s largest government hospitals, on Monday morning.
The blaze erupted on the first floor of the unit, where 23 patients were receiving treatment. The fire was reported at about 3am, and the firefighters responded to the situation immediately.
Earlier, the toll stood at ten, when officials said that five others were in critical condition. Later, one among those succumbed to their injuries, taking the total toll to 11. They added that a short circuit may have caused the fire.
Hospital staff and emergency responders evacuated patients from the affected ward to other units even as fire tenders brought the flames under control.
Chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi, who rushed to the hospital, ordered a judicial probe into the fire and announced a ₹25 lakh compensation for the kin of the patients killed in the blaze.
{{/usCountry}}Chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi, who rushed to the hospital, ordered a judicial probe into the fire and announced a ₹25 lakh compensation for the kin of the patients killed in the blaze.
{{/usCountry}}Police Commissioner of Bhubaneswar-Cuttack, S Dev Datta Singh said seven patients died during shifting, and the remaining three died soon after. There were no children among the casualties.
The medical college has a dedicated fire service unit, which responded after the incident. Fire personnel from the Cuttack Fire Station were also alerted and rushed to the spot to assist in firefighting and rescue operations. At least three fire tenders and over 30 personnel were pressed into service.
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However, evacuation was hampered as there were not enough doctors and nurses present in the unit at the time of the incident. SCB Medical College and Hospital is the biggest state government healthcare facility of Odisha.
The incident comes just a day after two persons were killed and 17 others were injured, with over 200 houses damaged after a nor'wester struck Odisha's Mayurbhanj district on Sunday.
The tornado-like system hit the two deceased persons along National Highway (NH)-220 around 4 pm, while the five injured people were shifted to the Keonjhar medical college, officials reportedly said.
Several trees and electricity poles were also uprooted due to the strong winds, they added.
Additionally, around 40 other people suffered minor injuries in the natural disaster.
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Officials said that Kia and Kankada villages were the worst affected by the tornado-like system. A villager, cited by news agency PTI, said the wind was so strong that an autorickshaw and a scooter flew in the air and fell into a water body in Kankada village.
CM Majhi announced an ex-gratia of ₹4 lakh for each of the families of the deceased from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), Mayurbhanj District Collector (DC) Hemakanta Soy said.