Fire at Calcutta Medical College, 1 dead

A fire broke out early in the morning on Wednesday at the state-run Calcutta Medical College and Hospital and while 250 patients were shifted a 75-year-old died during the process.

The deceased has been identified as Saidul Islam Mullick. A resident of Khanakul in Hooghly district of West Bengal, Mullick had been admitted to the hospital for the last nine days. “There was smoke all over the place and patients were being brought out of the MCH building. There was no stretcher or helping hand available and he had to be walked out of the building. We took him to the Emergency Ward but in the afternoon he passed away,” said a family member of Mullick.

The fire broke out at about 8 am at the pharmacy and storeroom on the ground floor of the building. The floors above had departments such as hematology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, internal medicine, cardiology. As smoke was detected doctors ordered the immediate evacuation of patients. “When I saw the smoke, I immediately informed doctors and other staff members so that a quick evacuation could be done and no life was lost,” said Shankar Rao, one of the hospital workers.

As 250 patients needed to be evacuated as soon …read more