India Covid-19 hospital fire kills at least 18 in Gujarat

Police said 31 patients were rescued from the blaze, the cause of which is currently under investigation

A fire in a Covid-19 hospital ward in western India killed 18 patients early on Saturday.

Hospital staff and firefighters rescued 31 patients at the Welfare Hospital in Bharuch, a city in Gujarat state.

The rescued patients were in a stable condition, said police officer BM Parmar.

However, 18 patients died in the blaze before rescuers could reach them, he said.

The fire broke out in a Covid-19 ward on the ground floor and was extinguished within an hour, the Press Trust of India news agency quoted the fire service as saying.

Its cause is being investigated.

Saturday's fire follows a similar event on April 23, when a blaze in an intensive care unit killed 13 Covid-19 patients in the Virar area, on the outskirts of Mumbai.

The fire comes as India faces a devastating second wave of Covid-19 infections and deaths.

On Friday, the country reported another global daily record of 386,452 new cases – pushing the overall toll to more than 18.7 million since the pandemic began, second only to the US.

The Health Ministry reported 3,498 deaths in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of fatalities to 208,330.

Experts believe both figures are an undercount.

Faced with an unprecedented surge in cases that has filled hospitals and crematoriums, creating a major crisis in a country of 1.4 billion, the government on Saturday shifted its faltering vaccination campaign into high gear, saying all adults 18 and over were eligible to receive a vaccine.

Since January, nearly 10 per cent of Indians have received one dose of Covid-19 vaccine, but only around 1.5 per cent have received both, even though India is one of the world’s biggest producers of vaccines.

Despite the government’s promise of everyone over 18 being eligible, states have already said they do not have enough doses for everyone.

Many are already struggling with the ongoing effort to inoculate people above 45.

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Gallery: India's battle against Covid-19 

Workers carry biodegradable cardboard beds at a makeshift ward set up at Radha Soami Satsang Beas in south Delhi. Bloomberg

Health workers turn away an ambulance at the main entrance of Lok Nayak Jaiprakash Hospital in India's capital New Delhi. Bloomberg

Harsh Vardhan, India's health minister, inspects a Covid-19 centre in the capital city of New Delhi. India is now the global coronavirus hotspot, setting daily new records for the world's highest number of cases. Bloomberg

People carry oxygen cylinders after refilling them at a factory amid a surge in coronavirus cases in India's western city of Ahmedabad. Reuters

Workers prepare beds at a makeshift Covid-19 ward set up at Radha Soami Satsang Beas in south Delhi. Bloomberg

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A board indicates unavailability of beds at Lok Nayak Jaiprakash Hospital in India's capital New Delhi. Bloomberg

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A patient wearing an oxygen mask looks on as his wife holds a battery-operated fan as they wait inside an auto-rickshaw to enter a Covid-19 hospital, in western Indian city of Ahmedabad. Reuters

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Health workers outside a Covid-19 ward set up at the Commonwealth Games Village Sports Complex in New Delhi. Bloomberg

Patients inside a Covid-19 ward set up at the Commonwealth Games Village Sports Complex in New Delhi. Bloomberg