Ten people died in a major fire that broke out on Sunday, 9 August, at Hotel Swarna Palace in Vijayawada, which was being used as a COVID-19 care facility by a hospital, reported news agency ANI quoting Vijayawada DCP Vikrant Patil.
Hours after the incident, an FIR filed by the Mandal Revenue Officer (MRO) of Vijayawada Central named the management of Ramesh Hospital and Hotel Swarna Palace as suspected or accused parties, reported The News Minute.
The fire broke out early on Sunday at the hotel which had been leased by Ramesh Hospitals to run a COVID-19 care centre for patients with mild symptoms.
According to the complaint, the authorities of Ramesh Hospital and Hotel Swarna Palace management were aware of electrical defects in the COVID-care centre that could lead to a short circuit fire. Despite having the knowledge, the hostel building was set up as a COVID-19 facility without repairing the defects, the complaint claimed.
At the time of the incident, there were 43 people present at the hotel, including 30 COVID-19 patients, The News Minute reported quoting state Health Minister Alla Kali Krishna Srinivas. According to Srinivas, 10 people have died and the remaining 30 patients who were injured are being treated in a hospital.
The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, but according to news reports, a short circuit could have led to the incident, which triggered chaos and panic at the facility.
According to a report in NDTV, the fire started on the ground floor and spread to the first and second floor of the facility.
PM MODI, CM OFFER CONDOLENCES
Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy expressed shock over the incident and has instructed the officials to conduct an inquiry into the incident.
Announcing an ex gratia of Rs 50 lakh to the families of the deceased, CM Reddy said he spoke to PM Narendra Modi regarding the mishap. ‘We are ensuring that things are under control. An ex gratia of Rs 50 lakh has been announced to the families of the deceased. My thoughts & prayers are with the bereaved families & the injured,” he tweeted.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, too, tweeted about the tragedy and said that he will ensure all possible support to the chief minister.
Home Minister Amit Shah also expressed grief over the tragedy and offered condolences to the affected families.
(With inputs from The News Minute and NDTV)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)