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Eight people, including four patients, were charred to death and five others injured in a major fire that broke out at a private hospital in Jabalpur on Monday afternoon, officials said.
Jabalpur collector Dr Ilayaraja T said four patients, a caregiver and three staffers of New Life Multi-speciality Hospital, housed in a ground plus three-storey building, died in the fire which has been put out.
Of the five injured, he said, two were in critical condition and admitted to the ICU of the government medical college in Jabalpur.
He said evacuation of patients and other people from the 30-bed hospital was over and no one was trapped in the building.
The collector said there were 20 to 25 people in the hospital when the blaze started.
The fire erupted at the New Life Multi-speciality Hospital near Damoh Naka under the Gohalpur police station area of Jabalpur around 2.30 pm, superintendent of police Siddharth Bahuguna told PTI.
Prima facie it appears an electrical short circuit caused the blaze, he said.
The hospital, which started functioning in January 2021, has been gutted in the fire, an official said.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan asked the Jabalpur divisional commissioner to inquire into the tragedy.
Chouhan expressed grief over the tragedy and announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the family of the deceased and Rs 50,000 per injured person.
"A very unfortunate and sad incident has taken place in Jabalpur. I am in constant touch with the district administration there. I have issued an order to the Jabalpur (revenue) commissioner to conduct an inquiry," Chouhan tweeted.