Jaipur hospital fire: Raj govt confirms 6 deaths, denies earlier reports of eight fatalities

Jaipur, Oct 6 (IANS) The Rajasthan government on Monday confirmed that six people lost their lives in the fire that broke out at the Trauma Centre of Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital, Jaipur.

The official confirmation came after initial reports from hospital sources claimed the death toll had risen to eight.

State officials have now clarified that six deaths have been verified.

In a statement on Monday, the State Health Department named the deceased as Pintu (25) from Sikar, Dilip (40) from Jaipur, Shri Nath (54) from Bharatpur, Rukmani (45) from Bharatpur, Bahadur (40) from Jaipur, and Kusuma (54) from Bharatpur.

These individuals were among the critically ill patients admitted to the Neurosurgery ICU-1 at the time of the incident on late Sunday night.

According to hospital authorities, the fire erupted around 11.20 p.m. on Sunday, believed to have been caused by a short circuit in the ICU’s storeroom.

The room quickly filled with dense smoke, leading to chaos and suffocation in the ICU. There were 11 patients in the Neuro ICU at the time; all were evacuated, but six succumbed, reportedly due to smoke inhalation and related complications.

The Trauma and Orthopaedic Institute within SMS Hospital has a total of 284 beds, including 46 ICU beds and six general wards where approximately 250 patients are housed at any given time.

The hospital also operates eight operation theatres, performing 40 to 60 surgeries daily, highlighting the facility’s critical role in emergency and trauma care. Officials noted that the quick response by the fire brigade, hospital staff, local citizen security volunteers, and police administration played a crucial role in containing the fire and preventing it from spreading further into the ICU and adjoining wards.

The state government has launched an official inquiry into the incident.

A Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team has already begun collecting evidence to determine the exact cause and identify any lapses in safety protocols.

The tragedy has raised serious questions about hospital infrastructure and emergency preparedness in one of Rajasthan’s largest and busiest medical institutions, said family members of the victim who were sitting on a dharna demanding justice into the incident.

--IANS

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