Mumbai: Nine Coronavirus patients died in a horrific fire at Sunrise Hospital in the Dreams Mall building in the Bhandup area on Friday.
All nine patients died due to suffocation as a result of the fire while two other patients at the hospital had already died due to Coronavirus before the fire broke out, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said in a statement.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray who visited the spot in the afternoon said strict action will be taken against those found responsible for the fire.
Thackeray apologised to the families of the victims and announced Rs 5 lakh to the kin of each deceased.
"The firefighters did a great job in rescuing people. However... some who were on ventilators could not be rescued. I seek forgiveness from their families," he said.
Thackeray said permission was granted to the hospital last year to run a COVID-19 centre temporarily.
The fire broke out around midnight, a BMC official said. The hospital is situated on the top floor of the four-storeyed building.
The hospital claimed that there was no casualty due to the fire.
"All the patients were shifted alive but there were a few patients on ventilator and were extremely critical. We believe the casualties are not due to the fire, but either in transit or at other hospitals (where they were shifted), it said.
The fire brigade and police are probing the cause of the fire, the BMC statement said.
Altogether 78 patients were being treated at the 107- bed hospital when the fire broke out, the BMC said, adding 67 patients were shifted to other hospitals after the blaze.
The cause of the fire has not been ascertained yet, the BMC said. The fire fighting operation went on till 8 pm on Friday, an official added.
Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar who visited the site expressed surprise that a hospital was operating inside the mall.
"I have seen a hospital at a mall for the first time," the mayor said, adding action will be taken if irregularities were found in allowing the facility to operate there.
The hospital in a statement said, "There was a fire on the first floor of Dreams Mall, Bhandup and the smoke reached up to the Sunrise Hospital located on the top floor. When fire alarms sounded, all patients were safely evacuated to the fire refuge area as the smoke was reaching the hospital."
A civic official said the BMC had