New Delhi:

A massive fire broke out at a government hospital in central Kolkata this morning. At least 10 fire engines were rushed to the Sealdah area to put off the fire at the ESI hospital, officials said.

A patient died in the hospital’s ICU while about 80 others were safely evacuated, said a fire official. The exact cause of the patient’s death is not known yet and there was no other report of any injury.

The fire reportedly broke out in one of the wards and it was brought under control before it could spread to other parts of the hospital. The cause of the fire is not known yet.

Visuals from the spot showed a few patients sitting outside the hospital along with their caregivers. The patients were later shifted to other hospitals for treatment.

West Bengal Fire and Emergency Services Minister Sujit Bose rushed to the hospital after receiving the report of the fire.

District Fire Officer TK Dutta described the incident as “terrifying”.

“Nearly 80 patients were trapped inside. Within 20 minutes, we successfully rescued them all. One patient who was admitted to the ICU died, but there is no other casualty,” he added. “There was smoke in the ward and the patients were yelling ‘bachao’ (save us) from the window”, he said, describing the situation.

#WATCH | Kolkata, West Bengal: DFO, TK Dutta says, “It was a very serious fire. Nearly 80 patients were trapped inside, but we successfully rescued them all. One patient who was admitted to the ICU has died, but there is no other casualty…” https://t.co/O3kzTCWvw0pic.twitter.com/m6UJJJiD59

— ANI (@ANI) October 18, 2024