Dindigul: At least six people including a child, three men and three women died after a major fire broke out at a private hospital in Tamil Nadu's Dindigul-Trichy Road on Thursday night, police and Fire department officials said.
The victims were found unconscious in a lift, they added. They were rushed to a hospital where they were declared dead by doctors. The victims suffocated to death and the Fire and Rescue Services personnel found them inside the lift after evacuating about 30 in-patients of the hospital. The evacuated persons have been admitted in the district GH, the officials added.
The fire was suspected to have been caused by an electrical short circuit, police said citing an initial probe.
TV visuals showed fire and smoke billowing from the hospital building, with fire tenders pressed into service to put down the flames.
On receiving the information, the officials of the fire department reached the spot and started to douse the flames. The department has been engaged in the process of evacuating the patients in the hospital.
Sources said that more than four fire engines were pressed into service, and over ten ambulances have been used to transfer the patients to another hospital. In addition, the fire department, police, and doctors rescued those stuck in the lift and sent them to the Dindigul Government Medical College Hospital.
District Collector MN Poongodi and Palani MLA IB Senthilkumar are inspecting the area where the incident took place. The police said a detailed investigation into the cause of the incident will be done.
