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Covid-19 patients die in fire at Indian hospital’s intensive care unit

An electrical short-circuit was blamed for the deaths in the city of Ahmedabad.

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Forensic officers, wearing protective equipment, talk with police and government officers at Shrey hospital, where a fire broke out early morning in Ahmedabad (Ajit Solanki/AP)

A fire killed eight coronavirus patients at a hospital in western India, officials said.

Firefighters and 15 fire engines contained the fire to the intensive care unit at Shrey Hospital and it was extinguished in half an hour, fire officer Yusuf Khan said.

Thirty-five patients were shifted to other hospitals, he said.

Relatives of patients wait for news outside Shrey hospital (Ajit Solanki/AP)
Relatives of patients wait for news outside Shrey hospital (Ajit Solanki/AP)

Rajiv Kumar Gupta, a Gujarat state government official, told reporters that an electrical short-circuit appeared to be the cause of the fire in the city of Ahmedabad.

He also said one paramedic was being treated for burns received while trying to douse the flames.

HEALTH Coronavirus
(PA Graphics)

Fires are common in buildings in India because of poor safety standards with inadequate fire extinguishers, smoke detectors and fire alarm systems.

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