A fire broke out in the trauma care ward of a public hospital in Cuttack, a city in the eastern Indian state of Odisha on Monday (16th), resulting in at least 10 deaths. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, after inspecting the hospital, told reporters that the fire was likely caused by a short circuit.
At the time of the incident, at least 23 patients were being treated in the intensive care unit, with 10 of them tragically losing their lives during the evacuation to safety.
The fire occurred at around 2:30 am local time on Monday (21:00 GMT on Sunday) at the trauma care intensive care unit of SCB Medical College and Hospital, as reported by the BBC. This hospital is one of the largest public healthcare institutions in Odisha.
Chief Minister Majhi stated that the blaze also affected the adjacent intensive care unit and general wards of the trauma care ward. He mentioned that medical and security personnel risked their lives to rescue patients, with 11 healthcare workers sustaining burn injuries and currently receiving treatment.
The Odisha government has announced financial compensation for the families of the victims. Majhi has ordered a judicial inquiry into the incident and vowed to severely punish all those responsible.
Hospital fires are not uncommon in India, with many attributed to electrical faults. Last October, a fire in an intensive care unit in Rajasthan claimed the lives of six critically ill patients.
In 2024, a fire erupted in the neonatal intensive care unit of a medical college in Jhansi, northern India, resulting in the deaths of at least 10 newborns.
In 2021, a fire in the intensive care unit of a hospital in Virar, western India, led to the deaths of 13 patients undergoing treatment for COVID-19.
That same year, a fire in a neonatal care unit in Maharashtra, western India, resulted in the death of 10 infants.