1

3 covid-19 patients have died in a massive fire at a hospital in Maharashtra's Virar. The fire broke out at  Vijay Vallabh Hospital on the second floor ICU ward at 3:00 a.m. According to an official statement, around 90 patients were admitted to the hospital at the time of the incident. Some distressing visuals showed people mourning their loved ones. After this incident, friends and family of the admitted patients gathered outside the hospital waiting for an update about the patient.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the death in Palghar district Virar "tragic ", condolences to those who lost their loved ones may the injured recover soon, his office quoted him as saying in a tweet.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray expressed "Sorrow over the death", he directed that other patients undergoing treatment should not be harmed and should be relocated immediately. After learning about the fire, the chief minister himself was working with the concerned officials and asked them to first of all to give priority to extinguishing the fire completely and ensure the treatment of other patients continued. Further, he also added that the cause of the fire should be properly investigated. He also directed the administration to immediately inquire whether the fire safety was adequate and whether it was a private hospital.

Maharashtra is battling the second wave of coronavirus and an unprecedented surge in covid-19 infections. Over 67,000 fresh new covid-19 cases have been reported since yesterday with a total caseload of over 40 lakh infections in Maharashtra which is the worst-hit state in the country.