Ajmer hotel fire: 4 dead, several injured; probe ordered

Ajmer (Rajasthan) [India], May 1 (ANI): Four people were killed and at least four others injured after a massive fire broke out at Hotel Naaz in Ajmer's Diggi (Dargah) Bazaar area on Thursday morning. Authorities confirmed that emergency services responded quickly, rescuing several individuals, including a child.
Speaking to the media, Dr Arvind Khare, Superintendent at JLN Medical College, said, "At around 8:30 in the morning, a patient arrived in an ambulance. The patient was unresponsive, and we attempted CPR to save them. They were clinically dead on arrival. Along with them was a child. According to information, the person had jumped from a hotel trying to save their child."
He added, "We managed to revive the child. The child was sent to the emergency ward, and we also performed a CT scan. If surgery is needed, we will proceed accordingly; otherwise, the child will be shifted to the ICU."
"After that, three more patients arrived, all of them were clinically dead. In total, we had four patients who unfortunately died. Besides them, four patients are still with us. Among them, one is a couple and the wife's condition is quite serious. She is on a ventilator and has burns covering more than 70% of her body. The husband has not been put on a ventilator yet. There is also a child," he said.
Dr Khare also acknowledged the efforts of fire department personnel. "Additionally, one woman from the fire department showed remarkable bravery--she saved several lives. She is currently under observation with us as well. So, altogether, there are four patients currently under our care."
Rehana, the mother of the injured child and a resident of Delhi, recounted the moment of panic during the fire. "No one gave us complete information. When there was a little bit of noise and commotion, we opened the door and saw that there was so much smoke that we couldn't even open the door properly or get down."
Describing the desperate escape attempt, she said, "Since we were on the fourth floor, there was a large glass window--we broke it. After breaking it, we tried to get out. My husband threw down a mattress and bedsheet and said to put the child inside it. The people standing below held the sheet, but somehow they didn't hold it properly, and the child got badly injured."
She added, "My husband, trying to save the child, tried to climb down using a wire, but he fell from the fourth floor. The wire broke, and he fell and died from a head injury. There were about three of us in our room--me, my husband, and our child. The others were on the adjacent floor. I don't think anyone got any information from the hotel staff."
Meanwhile, Rajasthan Assembly Speaker Vasudev Devnani termed the incident "heart-wrenching" and called for an impartial probe.
"The fire that broke out today in a hotel in Ajmer's Dargah Bazaar is a heart-wrenching incident. According to reports, four people have died and four others have been seriously injured and are currently admitted to Dayal Hospital," Devnani said in a statement.
"Certainly, there will be a completely impartial investigation into this incident. I have spoken to the District Collector and instructed for a thorough investigation, as well as to ensure that the injured receive complete medical care," he added.
Devnani emphasized the need for swift action. "The people who have died should be identified and their bodies handed over to their families, and based on humanitarian and legal grounds, all possible assistance should be provided to them so that no one faces any undue hardship."
"A comprehensive review of the causes behind this incident should be conducted to ensure such events are not repeated in the future. I express my condolences to the bereaved families," he said. (ANI)