Cause of Odisha hospital fire not yet known

BHUBANESWAR/CUTTACK: An electrical occurrence originating astatine a trauma portion of SCB Medical College and Hospital successful Odisha’s Cuttack killed 12 patients connected Monday. Hospital root said the blaze followed a tiny occurrence from an electrical spark successful the first-floor trauma ICU that had been rapidly attended to and doused.

Till precocious Monday, determination was nary clarity connected whether the aforesaid spark oregon an undetected responsibility elsewhere was the root of the monolithic occurrence that coursed done the ward and 2 precocious floors moments later. The occurrence services section reported a spread of much than 15 minutes betwixt the archetypal informing signs and firefighters connected field being alerted. Director wide of occurrence services Sudhansu Sarangi said the section received a telephone connected the exigency fig 112 astatine 2.58am.

“Fire engines reached the spot wrong 2 minutes,” helium said. Health caput S Aswathy said 11 staffers of the infirmary were among the injured. “They suffered injuries portion helping rescue and evacuate patients. They are each retired of danger,” she said. “My sister-in-law Menaka Rout, 54, was recovering aft suffering a caput wounded successful a autumn connected March 1. She was expected to beryllium retired of the ICU this week. Who could person imagined thing similar this would happen,” said Niranjan Swain of Kendrapada.

Ghanshyam Behera of Daspalla stood extracurricular the infirmary gathering hours aft the fire, looking distraught arsenic the enormity of the calamity sunk in. “My begetter had had an mishap and was being treated successful a third-floor ward erstwhile I heard shouting and screaming. Black fumes blanketed the ward successful speedy time. I carried my begetter connected my shoulders and ran outside,” helium said. Ghanshyam’s begetter Jadumani has since been shifted to the orthopaedic ICU.

Sudipta Nayak from Bhadrak spent hours trying to hint her 17-year-old cousin, who was successful the trauma ICU. “She was connected ventilator enactment for the past 8 days due to the fact that of a kidney ailment and respiratory complications,” said Sudipta. Security guards told the teenager’s parent Sumati successful the greeting to motion immoderate papers, saying her niece was among the dead. “Shocked arsenic I was to perceive this, I went looking for the body. It’s evening present and I inactive haven’t recovered my cousin,” Sudipta told TOI. The past specified infirmary occurrence calamity successful Odisha occurred successful Oct 2016 astatine the backstage IMS & SUM Hospital successful Bhubaneswar.

SCB Medical College has been facing vigor successful caller years for its allegedly crumbling infrastructure amid plans for an upgrade to an “AIIMS Plus” institution