9 dead, 8 critically injured in India's hospital fire

 

August 2

Nine persons were reported dead and eight persons were critically injured after a fire broke out at a private hospital in India's Central state of Madhya Pradesh on Monday afternoon.

Around 150 persons were believed to be inside the three-storey hospital in Jabalpur, 1,094 km from Mumbai, but all the trapped people have been rescued, said Akhilesh Gaur, Chief Superintendent of Police of Jabalpur.

The search operations have been completed and the first floor has been completely damaged, the police official said.

Nine fire fighters were deployed and the fire, which was most likely caused by a short-circuit, has been put out, according to Jabalpur collector Illayaraja T.

The dead included four patients, three staffers, a caregiver and one person whose identification is yet to be established, said a government official.

Madhya Pradesh state chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has announced a compensation of 6,332 U.S. dollars each for the families of the killed in the fire.

xinhua