A catastrophic fire has engulfed Sawai Man Singh Hospital in Jaipur, Rajasthan. Six patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) have perished due to smoke asphyxiation, while five others are critically injured. The tragic incident unfolded in the early hours of Monday. Hospital authorities suspect a short circuit as the likely cause of the conflagration. Fire brigades have arrived at the scene, and efforts to extinguish the blaze are underway.
Dr. Anurag Dhakad, the head of the hospital's Trauma Center, reported that the fire, believed to have originated from a short circuit, he stated, "Our trauma centre has two ICUs on the second floor: a trauma ICU and a semi-ICU. We had 24 patients there; 11 in the trauma ICU and 13 in the semi-ICU. A short circuit occurred in the trauma ICU, and the fire spread rapidly, releasing toxic gases.”
As the fire spread, panic ensued. Relatives of patients began screaming in terror. Nurses, ward boys, and Trauma Center staff collaborated to evacuate patients on trolleys and stretchers. The majority of patients in the Trauma ICU were in a state of deep unconsciousness.
Dr. Anurag Dhakad added, “Six of those patients were very critical; we tried very hard to revive them with CPR, but they couldn't be saved... Five patients are still critical... Of the deceased patients, two were women, four were men.”
The fire is currently under control. Doctors and firefighters have indicated that had the blaze not been contained in time, the consequences could have been even more devastating. In the aftermath of the incident, the hospital's electricity supply has been temporarily disconnected. Police have initiated an investigation into the matter.
