Probe ordered into Mumbai hospital blaze

The Maharashtra government on Tuesday ordered a probe into the devastating fire in a Mumbai government hospital which claimed eight lives, an official said here.

Another 176 injured were being treated at various hospitals. At laest 25 of them is said to be critical.

The blaze broke out on Monday afternoon at the Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Hospital in MIDC, Andheri East, and spread to engulf the third and fourth floors.

As per preliminary investigations, some material stored for renovation purposes caught fire generating massive smoke and creating panic.

Among the eight fatalities in the conflagration, a majority of the victims died due to suffocation, and at least one had panicked and jumped from the third floor to his death.

While 142 injured continue their treatment in over half a dozen public and private hospitals, 26 have been discharged so far, said the official.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has apprised Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the tragedy and spoke with Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda.

Union Labour Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar and Nadda will arrive here later in the day to visit the victims' families and the survivors.

The Labour Ministry has announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the next of kin of the dead and between Rs 1,00,000-Rs 2,00,000 for the minor and seriously injured.

Gangwar held a meeting with his officials and a team of doctors from ESIC Delhi has been rushed to Mumbai to help with the calamity.

The fire was first noticed near the operation theatre of the five-storey hospital located at Marol MIDC, an industrial hub in Andheri East.

The blaze, due to a suspected short-circuit, quickly spread horizontally and vertically, trapping around 155 people in the building with a glass facade.

While the firemen used ladders, other rescuers deployed ropes and saris tied as ropes to bring down the wailing and screaming victims trapped on the third and fourth floors of the hospital.

Mumbai has witnessed over a dozen major fires in residential and commercial premises this year, claiming over 50 lives and injuring several hundreds, besides damage to properties worth crores of rupees.

--IANS

qn/in