A hospital fire in India has killed 13 COVID-19 patients in the outskirts of Mumbai on Friday morning.
“There were 17 patients inside when a fire broke out in the ICU of Vijay Vallabh Hospital, out of which 13 died and four have been shifted to other facilities,” fire department official Morrison Khavari told AFP.
“The fire has now been extinguished,” he added. The fire started at around 3:00 AM and the cause is still under investigation.
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The accident comes as the country is battling a new wave of COVID-19 cases.
India has been dealing with shortages of oxygen, drugs and hospital beds sparking desperate pleas for help.
22 COVID-19 patients died at another hospital in the same state when the oxygen supply to their ventilators was disrupted by a leak two weeks ago.
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Four patients also died in a private hospital in Maharashtra earlier this month by fire.
Last month, a fire at a Mumbai clinic killed 11 people.
India has recorded four million new COVID-19 cases for this month alone. The spike in cases was attributed to new coronavirus variants and the government’s decision to lax rules and allow religious gatherings.
The recent Kumbh Mela gathering in Haridwar, attracted an estimated 25 million Hindu pilgrims, mostly without masks or social distancing. (TDT)
