Blaze at hospital in eastern India kills at least 89

Blaze at hospital in eastern India kills at least 89

2011-12-10 07:31:58 GMT+7 (ICT)

KOLKATA, INDIA (BNO NEWS) -- A fire at a private hospital in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata left at least 89 people killed on early Friday morning, officials said. Several others were injured.

The fire broke out at around 3.30 a.m. local time in the basement of the AMRI hospital, engulfing one ward after another and leaving hundreds of people trapped inside. Among those killed were 85 patients and four staff members, police said.

"The victims mostly got suffocated from the fumes. Many of them were in a serious condition in the [intensive care unit (ICU)]," West Bengal urban development minister Firhad Hakim said as quoted by local media, adding that some firemen fell also unconscious due to the smoke.

Angry patients and relatives said the firefighting was hindered due to the lack of cooperation from the hospital staff. "We were not allowed to enter early in the morning. Had we been allowed, more lives could have been saved," a local resident told the Hindustan Times.

Hundreds of relatives of the patients admitted in the hospital were seen weeping and pleading for news of their loves ones. A hospital spokesman said there were 160 patients at the time of the fire, including about 50 in the ICU.

Meanwhile, six people, including industrialist SK Todi of the AMRI group, were arrested and the license of the hospital was cancelled. "Law will take its own course. Those responsible for so many deaths, will be dealt with seriously," West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee told reporters.

Hospital authorities have promised monetary compensation to the families of the victims.

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