Kolkata: Forty people are confirmed dead due to suffocation in a major fire that broke out at AMRI Hospital
Bandhyopadhyay said that the West Bengal Government was shocked to know that the fire safety measures were not in place in the hospital.
What was even more shocking was that while the rescue operations were still on, the hospital authorities reportedly fled from the spot. West Bengal Planning and Development Minister Subroto Mukherjee said that the hospital authorities have fled. "Strict action will be taken against the management, but for now the focus is on the rescue missions," he said.
The angry relatives of the patients who died alleged that the hospital staff abandoned patients and did not help them rush out. They said that this resulted in suffocation, and therefore, deaths of the patients.
Upset and angry relatives destroyed hospital property shouting slogans against authorities for not having enough fire safety measures. The fire had also engulfed the ICU and relatives claim that they were the ones who rescued most patients and that help arrived much later. A few of them also heckled officials at the spot.
Reports said many bodies were moved to SSKM hospital. The identification of bodies was on but sources said some of the bodies may not be identified as they were charred.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation.
Many people were, however, still believed to be trapped inside. The fire was under control. Nearly 25 fire tenders were working hard to evacuate all patients and staff. Even as reports said the fire has been doused, Fire Services Minister Javed Khan said that there was still fire in the basement.
"The fire engulfed four floors of one of the buildings of the AMRI hospital in Dhakuria," an officer manning the city police control room told IANS over phone.
The 161-bed hospital is located in Dhakuria in Kolkata.
Firemen using ladders smashed window panes in the facade to rescue patients trapped inside the ICU, ICCU, ITU and Critical Care units.
Fire Services Minister Javed Khan said the fire spread because of stocks of highly combustible material.
The hospital also did not have proper fire-fighting equipment, he said.
Fire brigade sources said that firemen were trying to locate oxygen cylinders stocked on the floors, as the fire could make them explode.
Thick smoke was hindering the operations, they said.
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