At least 67 patients and three staffers have died in a hospital fire in the Indian city of Kolkata, NDTV television channel said on Friday, citing firefighters.
The majority of the victims died of smoke inhalation, said Mamata Baberjee, chief minister in West Bengal state, who is personally supervising the rescue operations. The victims are being identified, she said.
The fire broke out in the basement of the AMRI hospital at 2 a.m. local time (8 pm GMT) and rapidly engulfed the rest of the building.
Television reports said 25 firefighting crews were at the scene. Their efforts to put out the fire are hampered by shortages of equipment, including sufficiently long ladders.
The authorities said they would open a criminal case against hospital officials for failing to equip the building with the required fire safety systems.
The West Bengal authorities have promised financial compensation to the victims’ families.
It is still unclear how many more people may remain in the burning building.
