3 Indians killed in Malaysia hospital fire

Three Indian-origin Malaysians were among six persons killed when a fire broke out at the intensive care unit of a major government hospital in southern Malaysia’s Johor Baru on Tuesday.

The fire, which broke out on the second floor of the Sultanah Aminah Hospital early morning, forced the mass evacuation of hundreds of patients and medical staff.

According to the police, four women and two men, all in their 50s, died in the fire. The deceased include two Indian women and an Indian man, police added.

“The government will conduct a thorough investigation as soon as possible to identify the cause of the fire and the safety level (at the hospital),” Malaysia’s Prime minister Najib Razak tweeted.

There were a total of 193 staff and 294 patients at the hospital when the fire broke out. A few others were injured in the blaze. Meanwhile, the 

Sultan of Johor state Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar has instructed the hospital authorities to use the royal ward for patients as the ICU was badly damaged in the fire.