Maha CM orders probe into Virar hospital fire

Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday expressed grief over the death of 13 COVID-19 patients due to a fire in a hospital at Virar in Palghar district, and directed the local administration to probe the cause of the blaze.

A statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said that Thackeray spoke to the district authorities on learning about the fire incident.

He asked the authorities to shift the other patients elsewhere.

"Give priority to douse the fire completely and ensure the treatment of the remaining patients is not hampered," the statement quoting the chief minister



said.

He said that Vijay Vallabh Hospital is a private facility and a probe should be conducted on whether the fire safety measures were being followed there.

According to officials, the blaze erupted in the intensive care unit (ICU) of the hospital shortly after 3 am on Friday, in which five women and eight men died.

State Health Minister Rajesh Tope said in a tweet, "The fire incident at Virar based Vijay Vallabh Hospital's ICU section has claimed 13 lives. It is a very unfortunate and painful incident. CM Thackeray has ordered in-depth inquiry into this accident.