Atleast 13 patients died after a fire broke out at an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Vijay Vallabh COVID care hospital in the Virar area of Maharashtra's Palghar district. The incident took place around 3:30 am on the second floor of the facility, the Corona Control Room, Vasai Virar Municipal Corporation informed. Three fire tenders of the Virar Fire Brigade reached the spot to douse the fire. It was extinguished by 5:20 am. Other COVID patients have been shifted to other hospitals.
MNS chief Raj Thackeray reacted to the whole incident and tweeted,"Today a fire in a hospital in Virar claimed the lives of at least 13 people in the ICU section. A few days ago, the tragedy in Nasik and earlier the incident in Bhandara and Bhandup. All these incidents are heart wrenching and so unfortunate. I understand, there is a tremendous strain on the state machinery, but these tragic incidents are overwhelming. It’s crucial that the govt take immediate corrective measures and look into the overall functioning and the fire safety of hospitals. A thorough audit needs to be done and if any shortfalls or errors come up, they need to rectified."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday condoled the loss of lives in a blaze at a private hospital in Maharashtra''s Palghar district and approved an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the next of kin of the victims and Rs. 50,000 to those seriously injured.
Maharashtra government on Friday announced Rs 5 lakhs ex-gratia for kin of the deceased who lost their lives after fire broke out at an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a COVID hospital and Rs 1 lakh each for the critically injured patients. According to a statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office, a high-level inquiry has been ordered to probe the Virar Hospital Fire incident.