4 dead after smoke engulfs Kozhikode Medical College hospital, probe ordered
Kozhikode: Four patients died and around 200 others were evacuated from the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital (KMCH) on Friday, after a fire and heavy smoke filled the casualty ward. The incident occurred after an explosion, reportedly caused by a short circuit from the UPS installed in the room.
There was panic as a large amount of smoke and fire was seen coming out from the Super speciality block of the Kozhikode Medical College hospital (KMCH) on Friday, officials said.
The fire seen in the UPS room of the casualty ward in the block led to the evacuation of around 200 patients from several wards of the six-story building, but there were no reports of any casualty or injury.
Hospital Superintendent Dr Sreejayan said an explosion was reported late in the evening inside the CT Scan room, due to suspected short circuit from the UPS installed in the room. Following this, a large amount of smoke was seen, news agency UNI reported.
The incident occurred around 8 p.m., when staff noticed smoke emerging from the UPS storage area. Authorities quickly began shifting patients from the affected ward as a precaution.
As per a media report in the ETV Bharat, Dr Sajith Kumar, the Principal of the Medical College, said that the four patients who died were already in critical condition, and their deaths were not due to smoke inhalation. He said, "Two of the patients were newly admitted to the hospital on Friday afternoon, one with advanced cancer and another with liver cirrhosis, while the other two were also in serious condition."
Fire brigade personnel and police rushed to the spot, doused the fire and evacuated the patients, quickly bringing the situation under control.
All hospital equipment was also shifted to a nearby hospital.
Dr Sreejayan said no casualty or injury was reported. There was power failure for some time following this incident.
Around 200 patients from the causality were shifted to the nearby hospitals, including the main building of the Kozhikode Medical College by ambulance.
Fire brigade personnel said an explosion occurred in the UPS room, due to a short circuit.
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