Virar (TIP): Thirteen coronavirus patients who were in the ICU have died in a fire at a hospital in Maharashtra’s Virar, about 70 km from state capital Mumbai. The fire broke out at around 3 am on April 23 in the ICU on the second floor of the four-storeyed Vijay Vallabh Hospital, an official said. “Around 90 patients were admitted to the hospital at the time of the incident,” Dilip Shah, CEO, Vijay Vallabh Hospital, told reporters. Distressing visuals showed people mourning their loved ones. Chaos unfolded soon after the incident as friends and family members gathered outside the hospital, waiting for an update about the patients. The incident comes as Maharashtra battles the second wave of coronavirus and an unprecedented surge in Covid infections. Over 67,000 fresh cases have been reported since yesterday. With a total caseload of over 40 lakh infections, Maharashtra is the worst-hit state in the country by the pandemic. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the deaths in Palghar district’s Virar “tragic”. “Condolences to those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon,” his office quoted him as saying in a tweet.

In a statement, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s office said he “has expressed sorrow” over the deaths. “He has directed that other patients undergoing treatment should not be harmed and should be relocated immediately. After learning about the fire, the Chief Minister himself has spoken to the concerned officials and asked them to first of all give priority to extinguishing the fire completely and ensure that treatment on other patients continues,” the official statement read. “The cause of the fire should be properly investigated. He also directed the administration to immediately inquire whether the fire safety was adequate and whether it was a private hospital,” it added. Speaking to reporters this morning, Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope said: “In today’s meeting with the Prime Minister, we will talk about oxygen, Remdesivir, adequate quantity of vaccines for the state…also the Virar fire incident, it is not national news.”

After he was interrupted by the reporter on the number of deaths in the fire, he said: “The state government will provide all financial assistance to all those affected.”

24 Covid patients ead as tanker leak disrupts oxygen supply in Nasik

Twenty-four COVID-19 patients died in Maharashtra’s Nashik on April 21 after an oxygen tanker leaked outside a hospital, disrupting supply to patients for around 30 minutes.

“As per current information, 24 people have died due to the interrupted supply of oxygen at the Zakir Hussain municipal hospital,” district collector Suraj Mandhare told NDTV.

All the victims were on ventilators and in need of constant oxygen supply. Zakir Hussain Hospital is a Covid-dedicated facility. Around 150 patients were either oxygen-dependent or on ventilators.

Visuals showed gas leaking from the tanker outside the hospital and dense white fumes covering the area rapidly.

Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope promised the government will look into the matter and conduct a thorough probe. “As per the information available with us, patients who were on ventilators at the hospital in Nashik have died. The leakage was spotted at the oxygen tank which was supplying oxygen to these patients. The interrupted supply could be linked to the deaths of the patients in the hospital,” Tope said.

Panic struck patients and their family members as the oxygen supply was stopped. Heart wrenching visuals showed families trying to help the patients as they gasped for breath.

Fire trucks were rushed to the spot to stop the leak. Videos showed water sprayed to control the leak; the firefighting team also wore protective gear.