Midnight horror in Gujarat: 18 killed in Bharuch Covid hospital blaze

BHARUCH/SURAT: At least 18 people — 16 coronavirus patients and two intern nurses — perished in a massive fire that broke out in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a Covid-19 hospital run by a private trust in the industrial town of Bharuch after Friday midnight.
While some of them got charred to death, others died of severe asphyxiation caused by smoke when the fire was sparked at around 12:40am in Welfare Hospital on Bharuch-Jambusar Road.
Dipak Makhijani, regional fire officer, said the hospital did not have a fire NOC. “The first responders from the hospital said in their statements that the fire started from the ventilators, so we suspect that there could have been a spark in the machine which started the fire,” Makhijani told TOI.
The hospital run by Bombay Welfare Trust has been functional since 1995, but the building where the accident occurred was unused and refurbished last year for Covid-19 treatment.
Chief Minister Vijay Rupani ordered an inquiry by two senior IAS officers — additional chief secretary, labour and employment, Vipul Mittra and commissioner of municipalities, Raj Kumar Beniwal.
There were 57 Covid-19 patients in all, including 23 in the general ward and 12 each in two ICUs. Forty-one patients were shifted to various other hospitals in Bharuch and nearby towns. Policemen broke the glass windows of the building and brought out seven to eight patients.
Bharuch district superintendent of police (SP) Rajendrasinh Chudasama said, “It took nearly 90 minutes for the fire brigade teams to bring the flames under control. Many locals from near-by areas rushed to the spot and helped shift other patients to different hospitals.” Barring one from Vadodara’s Karjan taluka, all victims were residents of Bharuch and Ankleshwar. Eleven of the deceased were women.
Sarfaraz Patel, a resident of the Jambusar Chowkdi area said, “It was a horrific sight. Many locals who rushed for help broke open the glass doors and windows and brought out many patients. But some of them died.”
The rescue operation was also affected due to a sudden power failure in the entire hospital premises while the main oxygen supply line was also damaged.
Meanwhile, a team of state-run power distribution company Dakshin Gujarat Vij Company Ltd (DGVCL), fire department, police and forensic teams have initiated a detailed investigation into the cause of fire.
Nurses were interns
The blaze snuffed out the lives of two young nurses — Madhvi Padhiyar of Bharuch and Fariga Khatun from Ankleshwar. The 19-year-olds were working as trainee nurses in the hospital. As Fariga’s PPE caught fire, Madhvi tried to save her, but her kit was also caught in the flames. They ran towards the bathroom to douse the fire with water, but it was too late.
Rs 4L compensation
Expressing grief at the tragedy, chief minister Vijay Rupani announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh each to the relatives of each victim. The compensation will be given from the CM Relief Fund.