Bharuch: A fire broke out in Covid – 19 hospital at Bharuch in Gujarat on Saturday wee hours, caused death of 18 Covid – 19 patients in the hospital. As per the official sources at the time of fire broke out there were around 50 other patients at the four- storied Welfare Hospital in the Covid-19 ward at 1 am.

The patients were rescued by locals and firefighters. The Covid – 19 designated hospital is situated on the Bharuch-Jambusar highway, around 190 km from the state capital Ahmedabad and is being run by a trust.

Gut-wrenching visuals of the tragedy showed remains of some patients on stretchers and beds. The police informed the media persons at around 6.30 am that the death count in the tragedy stood at 18. Immediately after the fire, we had confirmation of 12 deaths. The 12 patients in the Covid – 19 ward died due to the fire and resultant smoke, said a police officer in Bharuch.

It is not clear if the remaining six also died in the Welfare Hospital or while being shifted to other hospitals, said the sources. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, the official said. The fire was controlled within an hour and around 50 patients were rescued by locals as well as firefighters, a fire official said. They were shifted to nearby hospitals, he added.