5 dead after fire breaks out at Covid hospital in Chhattisgarh

At least five Covid patients were killed after a fire broke out in a hospital in Chhattisgarh's capital Raipur on Saturday, the police said.

Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has announced ₹ 4 lakh compensation to the next of the those killed reports NDTV.

The fire broke out at 5 pm in the first floor of the Rajdhani hospital in Raipur. Thirty-four patients were admitted in the hospital; nine were admitted in the ICU, officials said.

It took two hours to bring the fire under control, officials added.

Other patients have been shifted to other hospitals.

"Five persons have lost their lives in the incident. Other patients have been shifted to other hospitals. Investigation will be done," police official Tarkeshwar Patel said.

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi requested the state government to provide all necessary support to the family members of the victims.

"The news of fire in the ICU of the hospital in Raipur is sad.  My condolences to the families who lost their loved ones. There is an appeal to the state government that all assistance should be given to the bereaved families during this difficult time," Mr Gandhi tweeted in Hindi.

Chhattisgarh has been reporting an unprecedented surge in COVID cases. According to the Union Health Ministry, there are 1,24,303 active COVID-19 cases in Chhattisgarh, while the cumulative cases of the infection have gone up to 3,86,529. The number of deaths in the state has mounted to 5,580.