A fire at a government-run hospital in eastern India killed at least ten severely ill patients who had been admitted to the trauma care unit, officials said Monday.
Building fires is widespread in India due to a lack of firefighting equipment and a general disregard for safety laws.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi informed reporters that the fire broke out early Monday on the first floor of the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, Odisha.
“A short circuit caused the fire in the trauma ICU ward where patients were being treated,” he said, adding that 23 patients were present on the floor at the time of the incident.
Following the fire, ten individuals died, and the other patients were transferred to different units, he said.
At least 11 staff members were burned while attempting to rescue the patients.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the incident as “deeply painful” in a social media post and expressed his sympathies to the victims’ families.
He also announced $2,160 in compensation for affected families.
Electrical short circuits, which are frequently caused by poorly maintained wiring, continue to be the top cause of fires in India.
In 2024, a fire at a private hospital in the southern state of Tamil Nadu killed at least six persons and injured more than twenty.
The same year, a fire destroyed a hospital in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, killing 10 infants.
