Jaipur, Oct 6 — Six critical patients lost their lives after a devastating fire broke out at the trauma centre of the state run Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital in Jaipur late Sunday night, officials confirmed.
According to trauma centre in charge Dr. Anurag Dhakad, the blaze erupted in the storage area of the Neuro ICU, where 11 patients were undergoing treatment. A short circuit is suspected to have triggered the fire.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the tragedy, describing the incident as “deeply saddening” and extending condolences to the bereaved families. “May the injured recover soon,” he posted on X.
Officials identified the deceased as Pintu from Sikar, Dilip and Bahadur from Jaipur, and Shrinath, Rukmini, and Khurma from Bharatpur. “Six patients two women and four men died in the incident. Fourteen others admitted in a different ICU were safely evacuated,” Dr. Dhakad said.
The fire caused chaos as thick smoke engulfed the building, spreading panic among patients and their families. Several ICU documents, equipment, and medical supplies were destroyed. Firefighters managed to control the blaze after two hours of intense efforts.
Vikas, a ward boy who helped in rescue efforts, said, “We saved three to four patients before the flames got worse. The smoke was so heavy that it became impossible to enter the building again.”
Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma, along with ministers Jogaram Patel and Jawahar Singh Bedham, visited the hospital to review the situation. However, tensions ran high as relatives accused hospital staff of ignoring early warnings about smoke and fleeing during the fire.
“We informed the staff as soon as we saw smoke, but they ignored us. When the fire spread, they were the first to run away. Now no one is telling us about our patients’ condition,” an attendant said.
The Chief Minister later met doctors and patients and assured a thorough probe into the incident.