Hospital fire claims 89 lives
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-Pastor-Dale-Morgan-
Dec 9, 2011, 2:46:38 PM12/9/11
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Hospital fire claims 89 lives
AFP
December 10, 2011 1:03AM
NEARLY 90 people have been killed in a fire that engulfed patients at a hospital in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata, with officials accusing senior staff of abandoning those in their care.
Six people, including senior executives from the two companies that co-own the hospital, have been arrested and could face charges of culpable homicide.
The fire broke out around 8.30am (AEDT) yesterday at AMRI hospital when the vast majority of the 160 patients inside the privately-run, five-storey facility were asleep.
Kolkata Joint Police Commissioner Damayanti Sen told reporters that 89 people had been confirmed dead.
Initial investigations suggested the blaze had started in the basement, and most of the victims were patients who suffocated on the thick, acrid smoke that quickly filled the wards on the floors above.
By 9.00am, the blaze had largely been brought under control, but smoke continued to billow from shattered windows for hours, as firemen struggled to reach those still trapped inside.
A number of immobile patients were evacuated down the side of the building using ropes and pulleys.
It was the second fire in three years at the same facility and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who visited the site, promised a full investigation.
Banerjee said six people had been arrested and could face charges of culpable homicide.
"The law will take its own course. Those responsible for so many deaths, will be dealt with seriously," she said.
Rescued patients and those who managed to escape said they had woken up to rooms full of choking, thick smoke.
"I was terrified, I kept shouting for help," said Jyoti Chaudhary who was admitted to the hospital a week before.
"Finally, a nurse dragged me out of the ward and got me down to the ground floor," said Chaudhary, who was then taken to the adjacent hospital wing.
Ananya Das, 34, bearing stitches on her stomach from minor surgery carried out the day before, said she was in post-operative recovery when the fire broke out.
"I managed to walk towards an exit and then climb out of a window. I saw a lot of bodies," she said.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh voiced his "shock and anguish" at the heavy loss of life.
The state's Public Health Engineering Minister, Subrata Mukherjee, said senior members of the hospital staff appeared to have fled as soon as the fire broke out, leaving their patients, many of whom were sedated, elderly or infirm.
"It was horrifying that the hospital authorities did not make any effort to rescue trapped patients," Mukherjee told reporters.
Several hundred angry and distraught relatives gathered outside to follow the rescue operation.
"This was all down to the negligence of the hospital authorities," said Swadesh Chakravarty, whose brother, a cardiac patient, was rescued alive.
Fire engines had trouble reaching the hospital, which is surrounded by a network of narrow, winding roads.
AMRI administrator Upadhayay insisted that the hospital followed strict fire safety measures and conducted regular drills.
"All statutory safety and fire licences are in place," he said.
The hospital has announced compensation of 500,000 rupees (about $A10,000) for the families of each victim.
Hospital fire claims 89 lives
AFP
December 10, 2011 1:03AM
NEARLY 90 people have been killed in a fire that engulfed patients at a hospital in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata, with officials accusing senior staff of abandoning those in their care.
Six people, including senior executives from the two companies that co-own the hospital, have been arrested and could face charges of culpable homicide.
The fire broke out around 8.30am (AEDT) yesterday at AMRI hospital when the vast majority of the 160 patients inside the privately-run, five-storey facility were asleep.
Kolkata Joint Police Commissioner Damayanti Sen told reporters that 89 people had been confirmed dead.
Initial investigations suggested the blaze had started in the basement, and most of the victims were patients who suffocated on the thick, acrid smoke that quickly filled the wards on the floors above.
By 9.00am, the blaze had largely been brought under control, but smoke continued to billow from shattered windows for hours, as firemen struggled to reach those still trapped inside.
A number of immobile patients were evacuated down the side of the building using ropes and pulleys.
It was the second fire in three years at the same facility and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who visited the site, promised a full investigation.
Banerjee said six people had been arrested and could face charges of culpable homicide.
"The law will take its own course. Those responsible for so many deaths, will be dealt with seriously," she said.
Rescued patients and those who managed to escape said they had woken up to rooms full of choking, thick smoke.
"I was terrified, I kept shouting for help," said Jyoti Chaudhary who was admitted to the hospital a week before.
"Finally, a nurse dragged me out of the ward and got me down to the ground floor," said Chaudhary, who was then taken to the adjacent hospital wing.
Ananya Das, 34, bearing stitches on her stomach from minor surgery carried out the day before, said she was in post-operative recovery when the fire broke out.
"I managed to walk towards an exit and then climb out of a window. I saw a lot of bodies," she said.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh voiced his "shock and anguish" at the heavy loss of life.
The state's Public Health Engineering Minister, Subrata Mukherjee, said senior members of the hospital staff appeared to have fled as soon as the fire broke out, leaving their patients, many of whom were sedated, elderly or infirm.
"It was horrifying that the hospital authorities did not make any effort to rescue trapped patients," Mukherjee told reporters.
Several hundred angry and distraught relatives gathered outside to follow the rescue operation.
"This was all down to the negligence of the hospital authorities," said Swadesh Chakravarty, whose brother, a cardiac patient, was rescued alive.
Fire engines had trouble reaching the hospital, which is surrounded by a network of narrow, winding roads.
AMRI administrator Upadhayay insisted that the hospital followed strict fire safety measures and conducted regular drills.
"All statutory safety and fire licences are in place," he said.
The hospital has announced compensation of 500,000 rupees (about $A10,000) for the families of each victim.
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