7 killed after massive fire breaks out at Tamil Nadu Hospital
Dindigul: A fire at a private orthopaedic hospital in the Dindigul district of Tamil Nadu, late on Thursday night, claimed the lives of seven people and left several others injured.
More than three fire engines and over 10 ambulances were deployed to rescue the patients trapped inside the hospital in the Gandhi Nagar area near the Dindigul-Trichy highway, a senior official said.
The incident took place on Thursday night at the City Hospital on Trichy Road in the Dindigul district of Tamil Nadu.
At least six people were killed and several hurt in a fire mishap at a four-storeyed private orthopaedic hospital in Dindigul district of Tamil Nadu late on Thursday night. Ruling DMK MLA P Senthilkumar, representing the Palani constituency, who rushed to the spot, told reporters that hospital reports said six people had died so far.
However, reports from the spot said another person also died, taking the number of casualties to seven.
When contacted by UNI tonight, sources in the Police headquarters, citing reports said seven people had died, but an official report was awaited from the district police.
As per a media report in the TOI, among the deceased are one child and two women, according to local authorities.
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No patients had died and all the deceased were said to be attendants who had come to the hospital to meet the patients, initial reports said.
According to a UNI report, the MLA said the entire district machinery was at the spot within 20 minutes of the incident and rescue operations were taken up swiftly.
He said all those trapped in the hospital, including eight people people trapped in a lift, were rescued.
Since at least six people rescued from the lift were unconscious, some of them could have died of suffocation, District Collector Ms Poonkodi said.
Firefighting personnel, Revenue, police and district officials have rushed to the spot and brought the blaze under control.
District Collector Ms Poongodi also rushed to the spot to monitor the rescue works.
More than 50 ambulances were deployed and at least 32 patients, including those from the ICU, were rescued alive and shifted to other hospitals.
"They were shifted to hospitals for treatment after which only we will come to know about the full details on the number of casualties", she said.
She said the rescue operations were on and a clear picture will be known only after the entire operation was completed.
The cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained.
He said the fire which broke out on the first floor soon spread till third floor, engulfing in smoke, leading to suffocation.
All of them were rescued and the fire was brought under control, she said, adding, however, a search was on to ascertain whether anyone else was trapped inside the hospital.
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