Eight patients killed in fire at hospital in India’s Jaipur

The chief of the hospital’s trauma centre says the fire was suspected to have been caused by a short circuit

Eight critically ill patients have died after a fire broke out at the trauma centre of Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital in India’s Jaipur.

Dr Anurag Dhakad, the doctor in charge of the hospital’s trauma centre, said the blaze started in a storage area of the Neuro Intensive Care Unit late Sunday night, where 11 patients were undergoing treatment.

He said the fire was suspected to have been caused by a short circuit.

Smoke spread quickly through the floor, according to a report by the Indian broadcaster NDTV, setting off panic among patients and their relatives.

Hospital staff and attendants rushed to carry patients out, some on their beds, as firefighters worked to contain the flames.

The fire was brought under control in about two hours, officials said, but medical records, ICU equipment, blood sample tubes and other items stored in the area were destroyed.

Vikas, a ward boy who was present at the scene, said he and other staff members tried to rescue as many people as they could.

“We were inside the operating theatre when we heard about the fire, so we immediately rushed to rescue the people inside the centre. We managed to save at least three to four patients. However, as the flames intensified, we could no longer go into the building. We did our best to rescue as many as we could,” he told Indian news agency PTI.

He added that police arrived later but were unable to enter immediately because of the heavy smoke.

Firefighters, upon reaching the site, had to break a window on the opposite side of the building to begin dousing the fire.

Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Jogaram Patel and Minister of State for Home Jawahar Singh Bedham visited the hospital to assess the situation.

As Patel and Bedham arrived, some patients expressed anger, alleging that hospital staff fled the scene when the fire broke out.

“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. Now, we cannot get any information about our patients. We want to know their condition, but no one is telling us.”

Chief Minister Sharma later visited the trauma centre and spoke to doctors and patients.