At least 10 critically ill patients have died following a fire outbreak at a government-run hospital in eastern India, officials confirmed on Monday.
The blaze occurred in the early hours of Monday on the first floor of SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack. According to the Chief Minister of Odisha, Mohan Charan Majhi, the fire was triggered by a short circuit in the trauma intensive care unit (ICU) ward where patients were receiving treatment.
Majhi told reporters that 23 patients were on the affected floor when the fire broke out. Ten of them died as a result of the incident, while the remaining patients were successfully evacuated and transferred to other wards for continued medical care.
In addition to the fatalities, at least 11 hospital staff members sustained burn injuries while attempting to rescue patients trapped in the ward.
Reacting to the tragedy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the incident as “deeply painful” in a post on social media and extended his condolences to the families of the victims. He also announced a compensation of $2,160 for each affected family.
Building fires remain a recurring problem in India, often attributed to inadequate firefighting equipment and poor enforcement of safety regulations. Electrical short circuits, frequently caused by poorly maintained wiring systems, are cited as the leading cause of such incidents.
In 2024, a fire at a private hospital in Tamil Nadu claimed at least six lives and left more than two dozen people injured. In the same year, another hospital fire in Uttar Pradesh resulted in the deaths of 10 newborns.
Authorities have yet to announce a detailed investigation report into the latest incident.
