1983-2011 Posted December 9, 2011 Posted December 9, 2011 Kolkata: At least 40 people have died in a huge fire that began this morning at AMRI hospital in Kolkata. Confronted with the hospital's apparent violation of fire safety laws, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee described the negligence as "an unforgivable crime" and vowed "the harshest punishment possible" for those found responsible. Local media reports put the death toll at 70. Many people are still believed to be trapped inside. A First Information Report or FIR has been filed against the privately-owned and expensive hospital. Through the morning, firemen were seen using ropes and ladders to enter the different floors of the hospital; some windows had to be smashed. The dead bodies are being moved to the SSKM Hospital; families have been asked to identify their relatives before post-mortems are conducted. The fire began in the basement of the seven-storey building at 3 am - but the first fire engine arrived only at 5.30 this morning, say furious eyewitnesses. The road leading to the hospital is narrow and congested. Inside the hospital, there was chaos- the building was engulfed in smoke, many patients suffocated. "Every door is locked, every window is locked," said a resident who tried to help. "We cannot bring any patient outside," he said, his anger visible. News agency IANS quoted an unnamed hospital spokesperson who reportedly said, "At the time of the fire, there were 160 patients, including around 40-50 in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit). Eighty per cent have been rescued." A man whose wife, Munmun, died in the fire says that in the orthopedic ward where she suffocated, most patients were injured and could not move to safety. (Munmun, 36, phoned husband to say she was suffocating) Till 10.30 am, bodies were being moved from the main building - where patients had suffocated - to an annexe next door that was serving as a morgue. NDTV's Monideepa Banerjee saw lines of bodies surrounded by grieving relatives. There was no doctor or staff member in sight. (Watch: Rescue worker shares what he saw) Early reports say that the basement, where the fire began, was meant to be used for parking, but had been converted into a storage area where inflammable material had been kept. Relatives of patients vandalized the reception of the hospital this morning, upset that not enough information was being shared by staff. (Read: Family members vandalise hospital reception) AMRI hospital was set up in 1996, and is co-owned by the Emami & Shrachi Groups. HELPLINE NUMBERS: 9932215296, 9831225067 http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/kolkata-40-dead-in-fire-at-amri-hospital-unforgivable-crime-says-mamata-156619&cp (:((
punjabi_khota Posted December 9, 2011 Posted December 9, 2011 2 hours of delay to get firefighters ? And roads are congested at 3 am ? Oh man, this is just crazy. People should be jailed for this.
G_B_ Posted December 9, 2011 Posted December 9, 2011 RIP no comments on this? disgusting what happened with the fire-fighters. I also read the hospital has issues with fire exits. ie there were none. Public services are just not present in India
Sachinism Posted December 9, 2011 Posted December 9, 2011 How is this possible? What in the hell were they doing for 2 hours? I read somewhere there's been 3 fires at that hospital this year, is this true?
The Dark Horse Posted December 9, 2011 Posted December 9, 2011 RIP , what were they doing for 2.30 hrs? :mad:
Mariyam Posted December 9, 2011 Posted December 9, 2011 Tragic. R.I.P Harsh punishment should be meted out to each person has neglected his/her duty.
CSK Fan Posted December 9, 2011 Posted December 9, 2011 73 dead. The doctors and the staff ran out to save their own lives leaving invalid patients behind to die
anotherhawkeye Posted December 9, 2011 Posted December 9, 2011 Its nothing new. Every time a fire happens, we 'punish' those responsible (some poor bastard with no connections) , shed some tears and give couple of lakhs to the family. Then we forget about it till the next fire. Where are the periodic audits that's supposed verify conformance with fire code? How many fire drills did they have? How many fire drills did the fire men have? Life has no value in India and that's a sad fact.
Sachin=GOD Posted December 9, 2011 Posted December 9, 2011 Sad. these guys should be punished severely.
bihutoli Posted December 9, 2011 Posted December 9, 2011 This is really unacceptable. At the very least all parties involved, civic as well as hospital, be hauled up and asked for an explanation. Heads would have rolled in a civilized country (figuratively of course).
rahulrulezz Posted December 9, 2011 Posted December 9, 2011 That's what I truly hate about India. No value of human life n authorities think safety rules nprocedures r waste of money n resources.
Stuge Posted December 9, 2011 Posted December 9, 2011 This is somewhere on the lines of Uphaar CInema fire .We have not learnt anything and won't learn either .Normal Human life means nothing in India . RIP :((
Jersey #10 Posted December 9, 2011 Posted December 9, 2011 There is no value of a life in India. I am glad to be living in a better country. yes there are sacrifices to be made but at least I live in better healthier environment. The authorities should be jailed for this. There should be no valid excuse for the fire team to come 2.5 hours late. That is just ridiculous.
coffee_rules Posted December 9, 2011 Posted December 9, 2011 Police are incompetant. What will happen if you arrest the owners/industialists. They will be out on bail the next day. They have to make authorities in the building responsible and jail them. They employ a lot of incompetant people and there are no fire drills/fire alerts to handle such a event. Sad state of affairs. RIP.
Jersey #10 Posted December 9, 2011 Posted December 9, 2011 88 is the new count according to CNN here in the USA
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