The death toll in the ESIC Kamgar hospital fire in Mumbai rose to 11 after a one-week-old baby succumbed to her injuries on 21 December, reported News18.
About 147 people have been rescued till now. Two people have been arrested for alleged negligence in the fire that broke out on 17 December.
VM Ogle, Deputy Chief Fire Officer of the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), said the Building Proposal department had not granted the occupation certificate to the hospital.
“We had given them the provisional NOC. On the basis of that, our Building Proposal department had provided them a work commencement certificate, as per the norms. But when they approached us for the final NOC, the compliances were not in line with the provisions of act and hence, the Building Proposal Department hadn’t granted them the occupation certificate,” he told the media.
He also added that the fire audit is nothing but the site checks that the department conducts when they receive an application for the final NOC.
“It is the responsibility of owner and occupier to get the fire audit done, twice a year minimum through licence agencies who are registered under Section 10 of the Fire Act,” he said.
“According to us, there is no one else trapped inside the building. We searched all the floors three to four times.”VM Ogle, Deputy Chief Fire Officer, MIDC
‘There Was a Thick Layer of Smoke’
Recalling the horror, a patient, Santosh Kadam, had told PTI, "I was on the fourth floor and was going to the ground floor to get my MRI done.”
“Suddenly, nurses and other staffers started shouting and told us to vacate the building since a fire had broken out. I along with my other relatives came down safely.”Santosh Kadam, patient
Another patient Girish Patel said, "I saw smoke emanating from the third and fourth floors. There was thick layer of smoke. People panicked and started running helter-skelter before hospital staff came and advised us to vacate the floor quietly."
According to another civic official, over 160 patients were admitted in the hospital at the time of the blaze.
Milind Ogle, the deputy chief fire officer of the MIDC area, told PTI, "Our team had found some lacunae in an under-construction building coming up adjacent to the hospital and suggested their rectification. The hospital administration was in the process of complying with our suggestions. Meanwhile, this incident took place in the old hospital building," Ogle said.
Cause of Fire Yet to be Ascertained
Mumbai Mayor V Mahadeshwa said the cause of the fire at the ESIC Kamgar Hospital is not known yet, reported ANI.
“Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) is responsible for the fire audits, whether they carried out fire audits or not, that will be investigated,” the mayor said.
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