Ashok Gehlot demands probe into Jaipur hospital fire

Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], October 6 (ANI): Former Rajasthan Chief Minister and Congress leader Ashok Gehlot on Monday demanded a high-level investigation into the deaths after a fire broke out at the ICU of a trauma centre at SMS Hospital in Jaipur on late Sunday night.
In a message on X on Monday, Gehlot said that the fire in the ICU of the trauma centre at SMS Hospital, resulting in the death of seven people, is "extremely heartbreaking"
"The state government should conduct a high-level investigation into this incident to ensure that such accidents do not recur anywhere in the future," he added.
Meanwhile, Jaipur Police Commissioner Biju George Joseph confirmed six deceased after the tragic accident.
Prima facie, the fire was caused by a short circuit; meanwhile, the forensics team is investigating to determine the cause, the Police Commissioner told ANI.
He said, "Our FSL team's investigation will reveal the cause of the fire. At first glance, it appears to be a short circuit, but the final cause will only be determined after the FSL investigation. The death of six people has been confirmed."
He added that the bodies of the deceased have been shifted to the mortuary and will be sent for a post-mortem.
"The remaining have been shifted to another ward and are under treatment. The bodies of the deceased have been shifted to the mortuary. Once everything is done, the post-mortem of the bodies will be conducted," Commissioner Biju George Joseph said.
Earlier, the relatives of patients admitted to the ICU recounted harrowing experiences as smoke engulfed the ward, exposing critical lapses in safety measures.
Narendra Singh, a relative of the patient, said that he was initially unaware of the fire.
"There was a fire in the ICU, and I didn't even know. I had come downstairs to have dinner at the time. There wasn't even any equipment to douse the fire--no facilities were available. My mother was admitted there," he said.
Om Prakash, whose 25-year-old maternal aunt's son was admitted, recounted the tragedy: "Smoke started spreading around 11:20 PM, and I warned the doctors that it could cause discomfort to patients. By the time the smoke intensified, the doctors and compounders had already fled. Only four to five patients were evacuated. Tragically, my maternal aunt's son lost his life due to the incident. He was about to recover and was scheduled to be discharged in two to three days."
Further details on the incident are awaited. (ANI)