Mumbai Hospital Fire: Two Arrested, Sent to Judicial Custody
The two accused, Nilesh Mehta and Nitin Kamble, have been sent to judicial custody till 3 January.
The two accused of negligence in the Mumbai hospital fire case have been sent to judicial custody till 3 January, reported news agency ANI on Thursday, 20 December.
Nilesh Mehta and Nitin Kamble were arrested two days after a fire broke out at the ESIC Kamgar Hospital in Andheri. At least nine people died in the blaze and 175 were injured.
"Two people have been arrested in the ESIC hospital fire incident. They have been charged with negligence. The arrested individuals are Site Engineer and Supervisor of Supreme Construction," Reddy had said earlier.
The two were booked under IPC sections 304 A (causing death by negligence), 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and others.
The 325-bed hospital did not have the Occupation Certificate (OC) from the fire department, a mandatory certification needed for such institutes to function, reported news agency PTI.
Nearly 375 people, including patients and visitors, were inside the five-floor hospital when the fire broke out, an official said.
The blaze appeared to have erupted after a short-circuit near the rubber rolls stored on the ground floor, he said.
Another Fire Breaks Out
Meanwhile, another blaze broke out at the same facility late on Wednesday, 19 December, news agency PTI reported, quoting a senior civic official.
Nobody was injured in the fire, which was reported at 7.54 pm, an official from the Disaster Management Unit of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had said.
"The fire erupted at an electric box in ESIC Hospital premises at 7.54 pm. All the agencies, including fire brigade, police, ambulance service were rushed to the spot," he had said, adding that the fire brigade team managed to bring the blaze under control.
"It was extinguished at 8.34 pm."
The hospital has been vacated following Monday’s (17 December) blaze.
(With inputs from PTI and ANI)
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