In a near rerun of the devastating fire at AMRI Hospitals in Kolkata that killed about a hundred patients five years ago three persons, two ayahs and a child perished, and 50 people were injured this time inside the Murshidabad Medical College at Behrampore some 200 km north of Kolkata Health Department sources said.
All the deaths occurred on account of choking and a near stampede as patients, their attending kin and hospital staff tried to escape using the solitary staircase. The emergency exit was locked and its key could not be found at crunch situation, locals who lent a crucial hand in ferrying the trapped patients to safety said.
The two adult killed were Purnima Ghosh and Mamoni Sarkar, both hospital staff and the third victim was a child admitted in the pediatric ward.
State Director for Medical Education Sushanta Banerjee, who was rushing to the spot, said all other patients and staff had escaped with minorinjuries and were currently being treated at the hospital. About 20 people, including 10 patients were injured.
The fire broke out about 12 pm from a short circuit in an AC machine inside a cabin somewhere in the male surgery ward in the first floor police said. “Casualties and injuries took place as people jammed the only staircase while coming down from the second and third floor,” district SP said.
Two fire tenders rushed to the spot managed to bring it under control Fire Department sources said. The Saturday's incident comes within a week of a similar fire breaking out at Katwa sub-divisional hospital in Burdwan District, where few persons were injured when a fire broke out inside the operation
theatre. Meanwhile, in a swift action Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who also handles the Health Department announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh for those killed, besides setting up a committee to find out the reason behind the fire.
A CBI inquiry was also ordered by the Chief Minister, who was “constantly monitoring the developments,” sources at the State secretariat Nabanna said.
A massive fire had broken out in 2011 inside the super-speciality AMRI Hospital a centrally air-conditioned unit killing more than 90 patients, who were mostly choked to death as glass panes could not be broken and the smoke could not escape. Things were worsened by the security guards, who locked the doors from outside disallowing the patients to descend and flee to safety.