Jabalpur Hospital Catches Fire, No Emergency Exit

CM Shivraj Singh has ordered a high-level inquiry as 8 Died

In the Jabalpur Hospital, there was no emergency exit or proper fire safety equipment, where five patients and three staff members died in a massive fire this afternoon.

Sources informed that the 30-bed hospital was possibly started in 2020 during the first wave of COVID-19, when the authorities were focused on increasing health infrastructure.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has ordered a high-level inquiry into this case, which will be conducted by a four-member panel headed by the Jabalpur Divisional Commissioner B Chandrashekhar.

The blaze at the New Life Multi-Specialty hospital started around 2.45 pm, possibly due to a short circuit in the generator on the ground floor. It is suspected to have happened during the electricity switchover following a power cut, sources said, and soon spread to other parts of the hospital building. 

Sources said the hospital had only one gate and that it was very narrow. The oxygen cylinders inside made the situation worse.

Eight persons were burnt alive. Another eight people who suffered burns of various degrees have been admitted at a nearby private hospital and the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Medical College. 

Two survivors in critical condition are at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Medical College.

The CM has announced an immediate amount of ? 5 lakh each to the families of those who died. An amount ? 50,000 will be given to the severely injured in the fire.

"Our priority right now is to save those injured in the inferno, but a thorough probe will be conducted by the panel headed by the Jabalpur Divisional Commissioner," the Chief Minister said. 

"The probe will ascertain the reasons behind the blaze and those found responsible for any lapses will have to face strict action," Mr. Chouhan added. 

"It was a massive fire outbreak, and our teams rescued all the people trapped inside the hospital," Akhilesh Gaur, Jabalpur's Chief Superintendent of police said. 

The people who died include Vir Singh (30), Subhati Verma (24), Mahima Jatav (23) – all three being hospital staff – Durgesh Singh (42), Tanmay Vishwakarma (19), Anusuiya Yadav (55), Sonu Yadav (26) and Sangeeta Yadav.