Maharashtra: 10 COVID-19 patients die in hospital fire in Ahmednagar; Uddhav Thackeray orders probe

-

At least 10 COVID-19 patients died after a fire broke out at the ICU ward of the civil hospital in in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar district on Saturday, said District Collector Rajendra Bhosale.

The incident happened at around 11 am in the hospital's COVID-19 ward, in which 17 patients had been admitted. Bhosale added that all the patients in the ICU were COVID-19 positive.

Initially, 10 had patients died in the fire while seven others were shifted. Out of the seven, one patient who was critical died later, reported the Indian Express.

"The cause of the blaze, which has now been extinguished, is as yet unknown, but
prima facie reports suggest that an electrical short-circuit may have started the fire," Bhosale added.

Ahmednagar SP Manoj Patil said, "Most of the deceased were above 60 while one of them was in the late 30s. It is too early to comment on the exact cause of the fire. A thorough probe will be conducted to determine the reason and the sequence of events leading to the fire."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences to the families of those who died. "Anguished by the loss of lives due to a fire in a hospital in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra. Condolences to the bereaved families. May the injured recover at the earliest," he tweeted.

Udhhav Thackeray orders probe

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has ordered a probe into the tragedy, and announced Rs 5 lakh compensation for kin of victims.

Thackeray directed the administration to ensure that those responsible for the mishap get strict punishment.

"On learning about the incident, Thackeray spoke to district guardian minister Hassan Mushrif and state chief secretary Sitaram Kunte, and asked them to ensure that other patients admitted there should get proper treatment without any disturbance," a statement from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said.

"The CM said the probe will be done by the district collector and the report should be submitted to the government," it said.

Former chief minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis tweeted calling for "strict action against all responsible people".

Earlier this year, another major fire broke out in a shopping mall in Mumbai's Bhandup area on 26 March, in which 11 people died while scores were evacuated.

Eleven bodies were recovered and around 70 patients, who were being treated for the coronavirus - were moved to safety from the Dreams Mall Sunrise Hospital - which was located on the fourth floor of a shopping mall.

With inputs from agencies



from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/3qd4RSf
FP Staff

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Both COVID-19 vaccine doses needed for good protection against B16172 variant

-
It’s been a concerning few weeks in the UK, with the B16172 variant first taking hold and then spreading to become dominant. This more infectious form of the virus, initially identified in India, is what we’re now going to have to live with – unless it is out-competed by another variant in the future. Worryingly, experts had predicted that B16172 might be able to escape some of the effects of vaccines, which if true would threaten to derail the UK’s plans to finish lifting restrictions from the end of June. However, Public Health England (PHE) has looked at the ability of various variants to evade immunity and says that the UK’s vaccines remain effective against the variants circulating, including B16172. On the surface, this looks like good news. But delve a bit deeper, and things get more complicated, says Paul Hunter, professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia. PHE’s research found a little drop-off in protection against B16172 among people who were fully vaccinated.
Read more

New coronavirus variant emerge in India: How should our COVID response change?

-
Image
After genome sequencing of over 10,000 COVID-19 cases in India, researchers have discovered a new variant with two new mutations which may be better at evading the immune system. In 15-20 percent of samples from the Indian state of Maharashtra (the state accounting for 62 percent of cases in the country) a new, double mutation in key areas of the virus has been detected. These are now known as the E484Q and L452R mutations. What makes the variant different? Both these mutations are concerning because they are located in a key portion of the virus – the spike protein – that it uses to penetrate human cells. Spike proteins attach via a “receptor binding domain”, meaning the virus can attach to receptors in our cells. These new mutations include changes to the spike protein that make it a “better fit” for human cells. This means the virus can gain entry more easily and multiply faster. Given what we have seen with other similar mutations , it might also make it harder for our immu
Read more

120 flights delayed, 30 trains running late; Delhi fog & cold wave continue to give shiver to travellers

-
Arrival and departure of 120 flights, both domestic and international, to Delhi airport were affected due to dense fog and cold wave conditions on Wednesday, according to Delhi Airport FIDS (Flight Information Display System). As per the Delhi Airport FIDS, a total of 53 flights, including 21 domestic arrivals, 16 domestic departures, 13 international departures and three international arrivals scheduled are cancelled and not operating due to fog and other operational reasons from and to Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in the national capital on 17 January. #WATCH | Delhi: Several flight operations delayed at IGI airport due to low visibility amid fog. pic.twitter.com/hG1DUKllEt — ANI (@ANI) January 17, 2024 Visuals from the Delhi airport showed passengers waiting outside, checking update of their scheduled flights. There were also some people waiting for flight of their families, friends and loved ones to arrive, which got delayed due to fog. #WATCH | Delhi | Pas
Read more