Nine patients died on Friday after a fire swept through Sunrise Hospital, a Covid care facility in Mumbai’s Bhandup area, located inside a mall marred by violations.
All but one of the victims from the 107-bed hospital were senior citizens. Two more bodies recovered were of patients who had died of Covid earlier, said the hospital. In all, 78 patients were brought down with ladders and lifts or led out by firemen using the Dreams Mall’s staircases. The 11 who succumbed were declared dead on reaching other hospitals. Asphyxia was cited as the reason.
CM Uddhav Thackeray, who visited the site, has promised to punish those guilty and apologised to the victims’ families. He also announced Rs 5 lakh compensation to kin of each victim.
Officials said the hospital inside Dreams Mall was first proposed in 2014 but the plan was stalled. It operated on a provisional occupation certificate granted in May 2020 by the BMC though the building that housed it had got notices for construction irregularities and fire safety violations.
The cause of the fire which led to the deaths has not been ascertained yet, said a fire brigade official. However, he said flames seemed to have spread from the first floor of the mall. The hospital was located on the third floor and the first floor had shops for home decor and imitation jewellery.
Officials said Sunrise Hospital was first proposed in 2014, but the plan was stalled. Eventually, it operated on a provisional Occupation Certificate granted in May 2020 by the BMC though the building which housed it had got notices for construction irregularities and fire safety violations.
Incidentally, the basement, first and second floors had failed to get an ‘all clear’ from the fire department. However, Sunrise Hospital applied for and promptly got an ‘NOC’ from the very same department. “The fact that there were not enough ducts to let the smoke out after the fire started shows that the go-ahead was given without a rigorous fire safety audit,” said an official.
Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray who visited the spot said action will be taken against those found responsible. He apologised to the victims’ families and announced Rs 5 lakh compensation to kin of each victim.
An official said the fire brigade would serve a notice to the mall and hospital under Maharashtra Fire Prevention & Life Safety Measures Act 2006.
Uddhav said the state last year gave temporary permission to some hospitals to boost health infrastructure to treat Covid-19 patients; the permission given to the Bhandup hospital was to end on March 31, he said. He directed the administration to conduct an audit of all hospitals inside any structure.