Mumbai: After 8 killed in fire, ESIC Kamgar Hospital staff protests over inadequate facilities

The staff members at ESIC Kamgar Hospital on Tuesday protested over inadequate infrastructure after eight people including a six-month-old girl died in the fire.

Another 176 people, including three firemen, were also injured who are being treated in different hospitals across the city.

The staff members protested holding placards and blamed the administration for the failure. 

The 325-bed ESIC (Employees State Insurance Scheme) Kamgar Hospital at Marol in suburban Andheri was constructed in 1970s.

While six people had died in the blaze on Monday, two more succumbed to their injuries later in different hospitals.

Nearly 375 people, including patients and visitors, were in the five-floor hospital during visiting hours when fire and smoke were reported on its fourth floor around 4.03 pm on Monday, according to a fire brigade official.

The building's glass facade posed a hindrance as it blocked air passage and firemen had to break the glasses on all the floors to evacuate those stranded inside, the official said.

A fire official said the blaze appeared to have erupted after a short-circuit near the rubber rolls stored on the ground floor.

"The rubber rolls are combustible material and they might have caught fire after the short-circuit on the ground floor. The smoke then spread on the upper floors through an open fire duct," he said. The exact cause would be known after an inquiry into the incident, he said. 

Union Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar on Monday announced Rs 10 lakh each as compensation for the next of the kin of those who died in the massive fire at the state-run ESIC Kamgar hospital in Andheri East, Mumbai. 

"Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Labour & Employment, Santosh Kumar Gangwar announced compensation of Rs 10 lakh each to the families of those who lost their lives in the accident, Rs 2 lakh each for those who have serious injuries and Rs 1 lakh each for those with minor injuries," a labour ministry statement said.

(Wih agency inputs)