Five Patients Killed, 20 Seriously Injured As Massive Fire Breaks Out In ICU Of Private Hospital In Muzaffarpur

Patna: At least five patients were killed and 20 others seriously injured in a massive fire that broke out in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a private hospital in the Brahmapura locality of Muzaffarpur in the wee hours of Thursday.

Short Circuit Suspected, Rescue Challenges

Sources said that the death toll was likely to increase. The fire erupted around 3 a.m. at Prasad Hospital, possibly due to a short circuit, and quickly filled the ICU with thick smoke, creating panic among patients and attendants. Locals said the ICU ward was on the fifth floor of the building, while the waiting hall was on the fourth floor, which posed huge challenges for rescue personnel evacuating those trapped inside. The deceased have been identified as Geeta Devi, Chanchala Verma, Uday Kumar, Shashank Kumar and Krishnanandan Singh.

Meanwhile, Bihar health department has initiated a high-level inquiry, demanding a detailed report from the Muzaffarpur district administration regarding the fire at the private facility. District Magistrate Subrat Kumar Sen has constituted a five-member inquiry committee to examine the circumstances that led to the fire mishap and determine whether any lapses contributed to the tragedy.

Five-Member Inquiry Committee

Fire officer R N Pandey said, “At around 3:55 am, we received an emergency call and a fire brigade team was immediately rushed to the hospital.”

Muzaffarpur Municipal Commissioner Rituraj Singh confirmed that five people lost their lives in the fire mishap. Several injured patients are currently undergoing treatment at different hospitals. Sources said that 24 patients were undergoing treatment in the hospital, 13 of them were in the ICU.

Meanwhile, 95-year-old Radha Devi, who was undergoing treatment in the ICU when smoke started filling the ward, reportedly removed her oxygen mask and managed to exit the ward. "I alerted a security guard about the condition inside the ICU later," she stated while talking to newspersons.

Bihar chief minister Samrat Choudhary described the fire incident as “extremely tragic" and extended condolences to the families of those who died. He also announced that the families of each deceased victim would receive an ex gratia payment of Rs 4 lakh. He directed district authorities to ensure proper treatment arrangements for those injured in the fire.