CUTTACK: Tragedies fade but leave a cruel imprint on the minds of those affected. Such was the case with the SCB fire mishap that claimed the lives of 10 people in the wee hours of Monday.
What started as just another usual day ended in unimaginable grief, leaving families of those who lost their lives, devastated. Among the victims was Cheru Parida, a 101-year-old man from Angul district, who despite such a vulnerable age, had fought for his life after a bull attack, and was recovering well. He was admitted to the trauma care ICU and was to be discharged in just a few hours when the tragedy struck, claiming his life.
A grieving Harihar Parida, who sat outside the mortuary of the hospital to receive his centenarian father’s body, recalled what doctors had told him and his brothers the previous night. “My father, who had sustained severe head injuries following a bull attack, was undergoing treatment in the ICU for the last 11 days. The previous evening, doctors informed us that he had recovered well after treatment and would be discharged today. But we lost him to the early morning fire,” Harihar said.
The 56-year-old man was sleeping on the floor outside the ICU when the fire broke out in the trauma care centre. He woke up to the screams at around 2.45 am. “When I woke up, I saw thick plumes of smoke inside the ward and was told that a fire had broken out.Chaos prevailed all around and I was told to leave the premises immediately. Moments later, the hospital staff and security personnel began shifting the patients outside, telling us to wait for a while. In the meantime, I started searching for my father, only to learn later that he had died,” said a weeping Harihar.
Thirty-seven-year-old Nirmala Barik also lost her husband Gauranga Charan Barik (40), the sole breadwinner of their family, to the tragic mishap. Gauranga had been admitted to the trauma care ICU of the hospital two months back following a road accident in Nischintakoili.
“He had suffered severe head injuries in the accident. However, doctors here had told me that his condition was improving. I had never imagined that I would lose him to such a tragedy,” said a shattered Nirmala as she sat outside the mortuary waiting to receive her husband’s body.
Dasuru Munda (65) from Keonjhar’s Kasipala village, also died in the incident. Dasuru’s son Suresh recalled waking up to a loud noise and being asked to move upstairs and then downstairs amid confusion. “My sister and I are now left all alone,” said Suresh.
Jajpur’s Kaushik Dalai, who lost his father Madhusudan Dalai days before his shifting to the general ward, appealed the government to ensure a thorough investigation and take strong measures to prevent such an incident in the future.