At least 11 patients were killed in the early hours of Monday after a fire broke out at the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, Odisha. The blaze – suspected to have been triggered by an electrical short circuit – originated adjacent to the ICU, which was housing 23 patients at the time.
Of those admitted to the ICU, seven victims died at the scene, while four others later lost their lives while receiving treatment. Media reports indicate that smoke engulfed the ward within minutes of the outbreak, while witnesses at the scene alleged that fire services took approximately 30 minutes to arrive.
Speaking to Newslaundry, Santosh Samal, a local who assisted in the rescue, recounted the chaotic evacuation. “A relative informed us that a fire had broken out on the lower floors. We quickly identified the escape routes and used the staircase to carefully bring the patients out,” he claimed. “The rescue team arrived about 30 to 40 minutes later. It took them a very long time.”
In the wake of the tragedy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund for the next of kin of the deceased, and Rs 50,000 for the injured. The Odisha government has pledged an additional compensation of Rs 25 lakh to the families of the deceased. Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has sought a detailed report from the state’s chief secretary within 15 days.
Cuttack MLA Sophia Firdous called for accountability, telling reporters: “There must be a time-bound judicial inquiry. The systemic failures – identifying exactly where the lapses occurred – must be brought to light. It must also be ascertained whether the fire department was conducting regular inspections.”
The state government has ordered a judicial inquiry into the incident.
Watch.
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