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Gujarat: 18 COVID-19 patients dead in hospital fire, CM announces Rs 4 lakh ex gratia

The fire broke out due to a short circuit in the ICU ward, as per reports. Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted and expressed grief at the incident.

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At least 18 people have died after a fire broke out in Patel Welfare COVID hospital of Gujarat's Bharuch in the early hours on Saturday. Most patients were shifted to another hospital, as per initial updates. The fire broke out due to a short circuit in the ICU ward, as per reports. The hospital is situated around 190 km from Ahmedabad.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted and expressed grief at the incident. "Pained by the loss of lives due to a fire at a hospital in Bharuch. Condolences to the bereaved families," he tweeted.

Meanwhile, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has announced Rs 4 lakh ex-gratia from the CM relief fund to each kin of the deceased. Two senior IAS officers Vipul Mittra and Raj Kumar Beniwal have been asked to probe the incident.

There were around 50 other patients at the four-storeyed Welfare Hospital when the fire broke out in the COVID-19 ward at around 1 am. They were rescued by locals and firefighters, an official said. The senior police officer in Bharuch, Rajendrasinh Chudasama informed that the fire has been brought under control. 

All the equipments inside, including the ventilators and the fridge used to store the medicines and also the beds, were turned to ashes. Some patients were charred beyond recognition and relatives found it difficult to identify their bodies, added an eye-witness. 

The 12 patients in the COVID-19 ward died due to the fire and resultant smoke, a senior police officer in Bharuch, Rajendrasinh Chudasama, said. However, it is not clear if the remaining six also died in the Welfare Hospital or while being shifted to other hospitals.

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