22 persons killed in a major fire at SUM Hospital ,Bhubaneswar,PM Expresses Grief
From: B.Maharana,
17 October, Bhubaneswar
At least 22 persons were killed and several injured in a major fire in the Institute of Medical Sciences and Sum Hospital, a private leading health care institute in Bhubaneswar Monday evening, official sources said.
The casualities could rise further as the patients and their attendants were resuced in serious conditions. The rescued 61 persons were admitted in the Govt. run Capital Hospital,AIIMs and local private hospitals i.e, AMRI,KIMs and Apollo Hospital, said Khurda Collector, Niranjan Sahoo.
While the local Private AMRI hospital authorities admitted that eight persons were received dead and 24 injured persons admitted for treatment,14 persons succcumbed to their injuries and shock in the Capital Hospital.
As many as 40 persons admitted in the Capital Hospital. Besides, some injureds were admitted to the Bhubaneswar AIIMs.Five persons were moved to SCB Medical College and Hospital , Cuttack.
The deaths caused mainly due to suffocation as the thick smoke engulfed the hospital premises.
The fire broke out in the intensive care unit of the Dialysis Ward and ICU in the first floor of the SUM Hospital at spread to fifth flo at 7.30 PM..
Over 30 patients were present in the ward when the mishap occurred, police sources said .
The cause of the fire is suspected to be an electrical short-circuit causing the authorities to launch a rescue operation of all the patients who may be threatened.
Five fire brigade teams were deployed to douse the fire and rescue the patients and their attendants. It took more than four hours for the fire brigade teams to douse the major fire.
Since all most of the patients were of critical nature of their ailments and could move , it was difficult to bring them out.
Meanwhile the Health Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak describing the incident as unfortunate , ordered ordered a high level probe into the incident. The Director Medical Education and Traning would head the probe panel.
Meanwhile the SUM Hospital authroties announced to bear all the cost of the treatment of the injured.
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan expressed their grief over the deaths.
Prime Minister has asked the Union Health Mijnister JP Nadda to take all possible steps for treatment of the injured patients in Bhubaneswar AIIMs.