Mumbai, Dec 17 :
Five persons, including a two-month-old baby, were killed while 106 others were rescued as a major fire swept a government hospital in Mumbai’s Andheri (East) on Monday, officials said.
The fire has now been brought under control and all those trapped in the building rescued.
Apart from the baby, whose death was confirmed by doctors, the BMC’s Disaster Management department said four others were killed, including two unidentified bodies recovered from the fire. “More details about the deaths is awaited,” an official said.
The level three fire, which is defined as a major incident, was reported at 4:20pm from the fourth floor of the Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Hospital. It was later raised to level four at 4:54pm, fire department officials said.
According to the fire brigade, smoke spread through out the multistorey hospital, trapping patients in the corridors and on the terrace. The rescued people were sent to three nearby hospitals.
All the nearby hospitals have been alerted as the rescue operation is still on. The fire department has sent 10 fire engines, six water tankers, three turn table ladders and as many as 16 ambulances for rescuing trapped people as senior officials supervised the operation.
