Fire in AIIMS Trauma Centre, no casualty

A fire broke out on Sunday in the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Trauma Centre, forcing evacuation of scores of patients, the Delhi Fire Service said. No casualties were reported.

The blaze also affected services at the Trauma Centre, which caters to patients from all across the National Capital Region, apart from the city.

A fire service official said the fire broke out in an operation theatre at the hospital's ground floor around 6 p.m. and 22 fire tenders were rushed to the spot. The firemen have succeeded in controlling the blaze, though dark smoke was still billowing out from the building.

"The fire damaged several of the surgical equipments in the operation theatre but there was no report of any casualty as the patients and doctors were evacuated on time. The fire is under control but the operation (to douse it) is still on," said the official.

The cause of the fire could be due to a short-circuit, he said.

A team of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), whose office is located nearby, helped to shift the patients to other parts of the hospital, the official added.

--IANS

rak/vd