India Hospital Fire Kills Dozens, Officials Charged for Murder (VIDEO)
A massive hospital fire broke out in eastern India on Friday causing the death of 88 people.
The fire broke out in the eastern city of Kolkata in the basement of the seven-story hospital at around 3:30 a.m.
The AMRI hospital staff abandoned the mostly elderly patients as they ran for refuge from the smoke. A majority of the deaths resulted from smoke inhalation.
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According to witnesses, fire fighters took nearly two hours to arrive to the scene and officials believe that the blaze broke out as a result of negligent safety practices.
“It’s a very serious offense, and we will take the strongest action,” chief minister of Mamata Banerjee of the West Bengal state said.
Banerjee called for the cancellation of the hospital’s license. Police have thus far arrested six hospital officials on culpable homicide charges as a result of safety procedure violations.
The fire was the deadliest fire accident in the rapidly developing and highly populated country since 2004.
When the fire broke out, people living in a vast slum near the building rushed to raise alarm, but security guards told people not to worry, saying that the fire was merely a small kitchen blaze that had broken out and was already under control.
Unfortunately, the blaze expanded and local residents aided in the rescue efforts while people waited for fire fighters to navigate the narrow streets of Kolkata.
Hospital officials expressed their regret over the fire and resulting deaths, but denied wrongdoing in the deadly blaze.
West Bengal State Minister for Public Health Subrata Mukherjee expressed his dismay at hospital officials for escaping the fire without attempting to rescue patients.
“It was horrifying that the hospital authorities did not make any effort to rescue trapped patients,” he said. “Senior hospital authorities ran away after the fire broke out.”
The fire raises questions about the implementation of safety regulations and how safety is routinely ignored in hospitals throughout the country.
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