11 Dead in Blaze at Odisha Government Hospital in Cuttack

In the wee hours of Monday, 11 people who were admitted to the Odisha government hospital in Cuttack died when a major fire broke out in an ICU (Intensive Care Unit). Read on to know more about this incident.

Odisha Government Hospital Fire: How It Happened

11 people who were admitted to the Odisha government hospital died when the fire broke out in an ICU. Staff members who tried to rescue the patients suffered burn injuries.

​The incident took place between 2:30 and 3:00 AM in the ICU of the trauma care department, on the first floor, where around 23 patients were receiving treatment.

​Firefighters rushed to the scene and worked to control the situation as quickly as possible.

​The toll earlier stood at ten, as there were five people who were said to be critically injured, according to officials.

​Later, the total climbed to 11, including one additional injured person. They suspect a short circuit caused the fire.

​In response to the serious situation, patients were evacuated from the affected area to other units, with assistance from hospital staff and emergency responders. The tenders successfully controlled the flames.

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi Visits Hospital

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, who rushed to the hospital, ordered a judicial probe into the incident and announced a ₹25 lakh compensation for the victims' families.

​According to the Police Commissioner of Bhubaneshwar-Cuttack, S Dev Datta Singh, around seven patients lost their lives at the time of shifting.​

The remaining three also died later. No children were reported to be among the casualties.

Medical College’s Fire Crew Swift Action

With a dedicated fire service, the medical college's fire crew responded swiftly during the incident. Fire personnel from the Cuttack Fire Station also rushed to the scene upon being alerted and helped with rescue operations and firefighting.

​Over 30 personnel and three fire tenders were on site during the fire operation.

Evacuation Delayed Due To Shortage of Medical Staff

Even though firefighters assisted with rescue operations at an Odisha government hospital during a fire, the evacuation was delayed because only a few doctors and nurses were present in the unit.

​SCB Medical College and Hospital is the major government healthcare facility in Odisha.

Incident Comes after Mayurbhanj Storm Tragedy

The recent fire incident has come after the recent Mayurbhanj storm tragedy in which two person lost their lives, whereas seventeen were injured. Around 200 houses were damaged in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district on Sunday.

​According to officials, this tornado-like incident hit two persons near National Highway (NH)-220 around 4:00 PM, and injured five people, who were admitted to the Keonjhar Medical College.

​Furthermore, the winds were so strong that they uprooted many trees and power poles. Additionally, forty more people sustained minor injuries in this natural disaster.

​Citing a PTI visual, a villager said an autorickshaw and a scooter were caught in strong winds and blown into the air before falling into a water body in Kankada village.

​As stated by Mayurbhanj District Collector (DC) Hemakanta Soy, CM Majhi announced an ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh for the families of the deceased from the SDRF (State Disaster Response Fund).

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