A massive fire broke out in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a private hospital in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district early on Thursday, leaving at least three patients dead and several others injured. The death toll is expected to rise as the rescue operation is underway.
The incident took place at Prasad Hospital in the Brahmapura locality of Muzaffarpur town.
Muzaffarpur District Magistrate Subrat Kumar Sen confirmed the death of three people in the tragedy. “The district administration is looking into the matter,” the DM said.
Unofficial reports confirmed the death of five people in the incident.
Three of the deceased have been identified as Shashank Kumar (Aurai), Geeta Devi (Motipur), both from Muzaffarpur, and Uday Kumar, a resident of Tariyani in Sheohar district.
The local fire station received information about the outbreak of the fire at around 3:55 am. A team rushed to the spot and evacuated nearly 20 patients from the ICU. Those who suffered injuries have been admitted to nearby hospitals for treatment.
Ram Nivas Pandey, an officer of the fire department, said that his team rescued 15–20 patients from the ICU. He said the fire spread rapidly through the intensive care unit, engulfing it in dense smoke and complicating evacuation efforts.
Prima facie, the fire appears to have resulted from a short circuit. However, it has yet to be confirmed. “Our priority is to rescue the patients. Investigation will follow,” Pandey said.
Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary described the incident as "extremely tragic" and expressed condolences to the bereaved families.
"Instructions have been issued to immediately provide an ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh to the families of each deceased.
The local administration is fully alert, and adequate arrangements have been made in district hospitals for the treatment of the injured," he posted on X.
The hospital management said it was cooperating with the administration and that an inquiry had been initiated into the incident.
The incident comes a day after 21 people were killed in a major fire that broke out at a restaurant in New Delhi.