By STAFF Writer
December 09, 2011
AMRI HOSPITAL FIRE NEWS - Six owners of India's Kolkata city AMRI Hospital were arrested Friday evening following massive fire in the hospital that killed at least 88 people out of suffocation.
The arrested owners are SK Todi, Ravi Todi, RS Goenka, Manish Goenka, Dayananda Agarwal and Prasanta Goenka. The licence of AMRI has also been cancelled.
The private air-conditioned six-storeys hospital was issued a warning back in July this year about inadequate fire safety mechanism.
The fire in the building spread from basement, engulfing one after other wards trapping people in hundreds. Most of the patients died out of suffocation caused by carbon monoxide accumulation and some due to burns.
The worst affected patients were in the ICU ward who died due to asphyxiation.
Deaths could have been prevented if the accumulated gas could get a way to escape. The entire building is surrounded by glass facade.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee reached the spot but resulted in stoking the rage of people and leading to near-stampede.
AMRI has announced Rs 5 lakh as compensation to families of the deceased. Separate packages of compensation have also been announced by the centre and state government.
Deaths could have been prevented if the accumulated gas could get a way to escape. The entire building is surrounded by glass facade.
Rescued patients have been shifted to different hospitals. About 42 of them to Mukundpur AMRI Hospital, 9 at Saltlake AMRI, 5 at Belle Vue Clinic, 2 at SSKM Hospital and 1 at Calcutta Medical College.
The cause of the fire is still not known. The National Disaster Rescue Force team has checked the basement of the hospital for radiation leak said chief minister. Ms Banerjee also added that forensic experts would be inquiring into it too.
December 09, 2011 | 0
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