Five COVID-19 patients killed as fire breaks out at Rajkot hospital

An uncertain fire at Rajkot hospital claimed the lives of five COVID-19 patients. The fire is under control.

Rajkot: At least five coronavirus patients were killed after a fire broke out in the ICU of a designated COVID-19 hospital in Gujarat's Rajkot in the early hours of Friday, a fire brigade official said.

28 other coronavirus patients undergoing treatment at the hospital were rescued, he said. The fire is under control.

The fire broke out in the ICU of Uday Shivanand Hospital in Mavdi area, where 33 patients were admitted, around 1 am on Friday. Seven of the patients were admitted to the ICU, fire brigade official J B Theva said.

"We rushed to the spot and rescued over 25 patients after a call informing about the fire was received," he said.

The fire is under control. The cause of the fire has not been ascertained yet, he said.

The rescued patients have been shifted to other COVID-19 hospitals, he added.

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."

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has ordered a probe into the incident.

In August, eight COVID-19 patients were killed after a fire broke out on the top floor of a four-storey private hospital in Ahmedabad.

With inputs from agencies