At Least 13 COVID-19 Patients Killed In Major Blaze At Mumbai Hospital - Reports

NEW DELHI (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd April, 2021) A major fire broke out at a hospital for treating coronavirus patients in a Mumbai suburb, claiming the lives of 13 people, local media reported on Friday.

According to preliminary data, the fire occurred in the intensive care unit of the Vijay Vallabh COVID-19 care hospital at around 3:00 a.m. local time on Friday (21:30 GMT on Thursday) and was reportedly preceded by an explosion in the air conditioning unit, the Mumbai Mirror newspaper reported.

The victims are eight men and five women, the newspaper reported, adding that 21 patients, including those in critical condition, were transported to another hospital.

The blaze was extinguished in a few hours, with cooling operations currently underway.

The authorities have launched an investigation into the incident to establish the cause of the inflammation.

The incident took place about a month after 10 people died in a fire in a COVID-19 ward located on the top floor of a shopping center in Mumbai, where over 70 COVID-19 patients were reportedly receiving treatment.