BBC:
Six critically ill patients have been killed in a fire that broke out at an intensive care unit (ICU) of a hospital in the western Indian city of Jaipur.
The fire, suspected to be caused by a short circuit, started late on Sunday night in the storage area of the ICU of the Sawai Man Singh Hospital. Eleven patients were in the ICU at the time.
The victims include two women and four men. Relatives of the victims have accused staff of negligence, which hospital authorities have denied.
The government of Rajasthan state, of which Jaipur is the capital, has announced an investigation into the incident.
“Every possible step is being taken to ensure patient safety, treatment, and care for those affected, and the situation is being continuously monitored,” the state’s Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma said on Sunday.
The Sawai Man Singh hospital, run by the state government, is one of the largest in Rajasthan and treats thousands of patients every day.
The fire broke out just before midnight in the trauma centre of the hospital and soon spread through the building.
Fourteen patients were evacuated from a nearby ICU ward as thick plumes of smoke engulfed the room.
Firefighters broke open windows and battled the blaze for nearly two hours before bringing it under control, news agency PTI reported.
Many families have accused the hospital staff of negligence.
“We noticed smoke and immediately informed the staff, but they did not pay any heed. When the fire broke out, they were the first to run,” one of them told PTI.
Another relative, who lost his mum in the accident, alleged the hospital also did not have any emergency equipment. “There were no fire extinguishers, cylinders or even water to douse the fire,” he told ANI news agency.
Jagdish Modi, the deputy superintendent of the hospital, has dismissed the allegations.
“I can understand people’s sentiments in such a situation, but the allegations are untrue. Several hospital staff members risked their own lives to protect the patients and evacuated ICUs and wards,” he told the BBC.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his sadness over the incident.
“Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon,” he wrote on X.
Hospital fires leading to deaths are not new in India. In November 2024, a fire at a state-run hospital in the northern city of Jhansi killed at least 10 newborns.
Last year, The Indian Express newspaper analysed 11 major hospital fires that have collectively claimed 107 lives since 2019 and found a recurring pattern of safety lapses, weak oversight and slow justice.
The newspaper found that short circuits caused at least eight of the blazes and nine of the hospitals lacked basic firefighting systems.
