MUMBAI: At least eight people died in a fire that engulfed a hospital that was treating coronavirus patients in Mumbai, authorities said on Friday.
According to details, over 70 COVID-19 patients in the private hospital, on the third floor of the mall, were evacuated to other centers. Officials have not yet confirmed the cause of the fire.
It was not immediately clear whether any of those killed were COVID patients. Indian media reported that around 20 fire engines, 15 water tankers and ambulances were rushed to the spot. Operations are underway to bring the fire under control.
The fire, which was classified as ‘Level 4’, broke out on the first floor of Dreams Mall, a three-storey building, at around 12.30 am. Sunrise Hospital CEO Dr Hafeez Rehman said some patients were missing following the incident, and efforts were underway to identify and find them.
In a statement, Sunrise Hospital said, “All fire alarms beeped and hence all patients were safely evacuated due to the smoke to the fire refuge area. There were two dead bodies (due to COVID-19), which were also evacuated. There was no casualty due to fire.”
The incident comes amid an upsurge in coronavirus cases in Mumbai. On Thursday, the city logged 5,504 new infections, the highest daily count since the pandemic began.
