Hospital fire kills 13 COVID patients in India
April 23, 2021
A fire broke out in a hospital treating coronavirus patients in western India, killing 13 patients early Friday, officials said.
India is currently battling a devastating spike in COVID-19 infections.
What we know about the fire
- The fire started in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a hospital in the Virar area on the outskirts of Mumbai;
- It reportedly broke out at around 3 a.m. local time (2130 UTC) and has been put out since;
- Of the 17 patients inside, 13 died, fire department official Morrison Khavari told AFP;
- Four patients requiring oxygen were moved to nearby hospitals;
- The cause of the fire is still being investigated.
Hospitals at breaking point
Hospitals in India are "looking at 200% occupancy," Dr. Shuchin Bajaj, told DW. The founder and director of the Ujala Cygnus chain of 13 hospitals described the situation as "apocalyptic."
"We are running desperately short of beds, desperately short of oxygen [and] essential medicines. We are turning away patients. It's breaking our hearts, but we can't do anything."
India reported 332,730 new COVID infections on Friday, taking the country's total past 16 million cases since the pandemic began, according to the Health Ministry. In the past 24 hours, the death toll also jumped by a record 2,263.
On top of the massive surge in COVID cases, India’s healthcare system has been hit by a series of disasters.
Friday's fire came two days after 22 COVID-19 patients died at another hospital in the same state due to an oxygen leak. Last month, a fire at a Mumbai clinic killed 11.
fb/rt (AFP, AP, Reuters)