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In one of the biggest tragedies ever to have struck a hospital in India, at least 89 people are feared to have suffocated to death on Friday following a fire in the basement of the seven-storeyed Annexe Building of the multi-speciality AMRI Hospital here.
AMRI is jointly promoted by the Rs 3,500-crore FMCG major Emami and city-based real estate major Shrachi Group.
The fire broke out in the wee hours of the day and initial rescue work was undertaken by the local people. The West Bengal Chief Minister, Ms Mamata Banerjee, who was present throughout the day to oversee the rescue operations, ordered the cancellation of the hospital's licence.
“The cancellation will mean that the group will not be able to operate the AMRI unit in Dhakuria in South Kolkata. We will also check the licences of other AMRI hospitals tomorrow and accordingly take action,” Mr Javed Ahmed Khan, State Civil Defence Minister, said. AMRI, a premiere hospital, has two other units – one in Salt Lake and another in EM Bypass.
The West Bengal Governor, Mr M.K. Narayanan, expressed shock and grief at the incident. He hoped that the State Government would take necessary steps to identify the cause of the fire and initiate appropriate action.
Directors arrested
Following the incident, six directors of the hospital — Mr S.K. Todi, Mr Ravi Todi, Mr R.S. Goenka, Mr Prashant Goenka, Mr Manish Goenka and Mr Dayanand Agarwal — were arrested by the police.
The police filed an FIR against the hospital authorities charging them with culpable homicide, not amounting to murder, and negligence of duty. According to fire brigade sources, the fire is expected to have originated in the electrical department in the basement. Patients on the fourth and fifth floors of the hospital are amongst the worst affected. Fire-fighters had to break window panes to gain access and rescue trapped patients.
Meanwhile, angry relatives of the victims vandalised the reception of the hospital alleging “neglect” on the part of the authorities. The police had to even resort to lathi-charge to tackle the irate mob.
“I had admitted my father to AMRI and had requested them to release him when I heard of the fire. However, my pleas fell to deaf ears,” Mr Raja Ganguly, who had lost his father in the blaze, said.
Hospital authorities, however, claim that of the 164 patients in the wing, estimated casualties were around 70 while the remaining have been shifted to other AMRI branches and other hospitals.
Compensation
While the State Government has announced a compensation of Rs 3 lakh and job for “needy families”, the hospital authorities have announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the families of the deceased.
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