Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday expressed grief over the fire accident at a hospital in Cuttack, Odisha, in which 10 people died and at least 11 staff were injured. The incident occurred early on Monday at the Trauma Care ICU Center of the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack.
Rajnath Singh shared a post on Facebook and wrote, “The incident of fire in a hospital in Cuttack, Odisha is extremely sad. My condolences are with all those who have lost their loved ones. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured. The state government is providing all possible assistance to the affected people.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also said that the incident at the hospital was “painful” and expressed condolences to those who lost their loved ones. Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured, the Prime Minister’s Office also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF (Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund) to the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured.
Expressing deep grief over the incident, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Manjhi also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 25 lakh from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF) for the next of kin of each deceased. He later visited the spot and directed officials to ensure safe transfer of all patients.
Earlier, local councilor Deepak Kumar Das told ANI that the incident happened between 2:00 am and 2:30 am. Das further said, “We got information about it at 3 am in the morning. So I reached the hospital. The incident happened around 2-2:30 am. It was raining at that time. According to the information I received, there was a short circuit due to which the accident happened… The investigation will reveal whether the incident happened due to the old AC or its There was some other reason behind.”