At least 20 people were feared to have suffocated to death and 100+ are serious, in a massive fire that broke out at the AMRI hospital in Dhakuria of south Kolkata early Friday, West Bengal Municipal Affairs minister Frihad Hakim said. Twenty people have died of suffocation in a massive fire that broke out in AMRI hospital in south Kolkata on Friday, West Bengal Health Minister Sudip Bandhyopadhyay told CNN-IBN. There was still no clarity on what caused the fire.
Earleir hours at around 3:30 P.M. the fire started. It is speculated that the fire could have strated due to ; Even in 2008 AMRI had siimilar kind of fire accidents. More than 24 fire engines are working to control the fire. AMRI is a 500+ bed hospital and the fire started coming from store room. From whatever information I have got from the fire department officials, there is a possibility that at least 20 people may have died,' said Hakim, who was at the spot. Using Cranes Fire department is trying to save the patients, relations of paties whi were inside AMRI hospital.
Several people including patients are feared trapped and injured in a massive fire that broke out at the AMRI hospital in Dhakuria of south Kolkata early Friday, police and witnesses said.
Around 20 fire engines have rushed to the spot and patients and hospital staff are being evacuated. The fire fighters were using hydraulic ladders to rescue the patients and office staff by cutting open the glasses with gas cutters.
'The number of injuries is still not known. The fire engulfed four floors of one of the buildings of the AMRI hospital in Dhakuria. Now the fire has been restricted to the basement,' an officer manning the city police control room told IANS over phone.
Witnesses said several people were likely to have sustained injuries. Fire services minister Javed Khan said: 'The fire is under control but yet to be doused completely. My men are putting out fire in one spot only to find another area in flames. There are lot of combustible materials.'
A patient in his 50s admitted in the second floor of the affected building said he was brought down by breaking the glass windows. 'Around 4 a.m. when I had gone to the toilet I heard nurses saying that a portion of the building has caught fire. But they did not help me. Finally along with some other patients I came near a window. Then the fire brigade personnel came and rescued me by breaking open the glass windows.'
'I tried to bring all my medical papers but they slipped out of my hands. I have lost them,' said the sobbing patient.
Another patient said: 'There was smoke. I helped many of the patients come out of their wards. But it is my misfortune that I could not bring out two seriously ill patients.'
Some of the patients in the affected building have been shifted to two other blocks in the hospital complex.
Hundreds of relatives of the patients admitted in the hospital were seen weeping and pleading with the firemen and disaster management personnel for news of their dear ones.
'We came to the hospital at the crack of dawn when we got to hear of the fire from television. We don't know what has happened to our patient,' said a relative.
He also could not give the number of patients trapped or admitted in the hospital at the time of the fire. The fire break out around 3:00am (2130 GMT Thursday) and was believed to have started in the basement of the five-storey AMRI hospita
