A fire at a government-operated hospital in India has claimed the lives of at least 10 critically ill patients who were being treated in a trauma intensive care unit, officials confirmed on Monday.
The incident occurred early Monday on the first floor of SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, located in the eastern state of Odisha. Authorities said the blaze broke out in the trauma ICU ward where several patients were receiving treatment.
According to Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, the fire was caused by an electrical fault.
“A short circuit caused the fire in the trauma ICU ward where patients were being treated,” he said while speaking to reporters.
Officials reported that 23 patients were present in the affected ward at the time of the incident. Ten of them lost their lives due to the fire, while the remaining patients were safely transferred to other hospital wards for further treatment.
During rescue efforts, at least 11 hospital staff members sustained burn injuries while attempting to save the patients trapped inside the ward.
Reacting to the tragedy, Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, described the incident as “deeply painful” in a message posted on social media and expressed condolences to the families of those who died.
He also announced financial assistance of $2,160 for each of the affected families.
Fires in buildings are a recurring concern in India, often linked to inadequate firefighting infrastructure and poor adherence to safety standards. Electrical short circuits—frequently caused by aging or poorly maintained wiring—remain one of the leading causes of such incidents.
Similar tragedies have occurred in recent years. In 2024, a fire at a private hospital in Tamil Nadu killed at least six people and injured more than two dozen others. In another incident the same year, 10 newborn babies died when a blaze broke out at a hospital in Uttar Pradesh.
