Hospital fire kills 18 Covid-19 patients in India’s Gujarat

At least 18 Covid-19 patients were killed as a fire ravaged a hospital in Bharuch in the western Indian state of Gujarat early today, police officials said.

The hospital is situated on Bharuch-Jambusar highway, around 190 km from Gujarat's capital city Ahmedabad and is being run by a trust, reports our New Delhi correspondent.

Visuals of the tragedy showed remains of some patients burnt alive on stretchers and beds.

There were nearly 50 non-Covid patients in the four-storeyed welfare hospital when the blaze erupted in the Covid-19 ward around 1am. They were rescued by locals and firefighters, an official said.

"As per information at 6.30 am, the death toll in the tragedy stood at 18. Immediately after the fire, we had confirmation of 12 deaths," a police official said.

The 12 patients in the Covid-19 ward died due to the fire and resultant smoke, Bharuch SP Rajendrasinh Chudasama said.

"We are ascertaining if the remaining six died in the Welfare Hospital or while being shifted to other hospitals," he added.

The fire was brought under control within an hour and around 50 patients were rescued by locals and firefighters, a fire brigade official said adding they were shifted to nearby hospitals.

The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, the official said.