At least 10 hospital patients in Iran have died following a devastating fire outbreak which happened at the facility.
The incident which happened on the victims who were admitted to the trauma care unit at the government-run hospital broke out following a short circuit caused fire leading to the number of casualties while 11 staff members were severely injured.
The outbreak on Monday started on the first floor of the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Odisha state’s Cuttack city, Chief Minister, Mohan Majhi, said.
“A short circuit caused the fire in the trauma ICU ward where patients were being treated,”Majhi said, adding that 23 patients were present on the floor at the time of the incident.
“11 staff members suffered burn injuries as they tried to rescue the patients,” he mentioned.
Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, termed the incident deeply painful and offered his condolences to the families of the victims.
Modi also announced compensation of $2,160 to affected families.
Electrical short circuits, often caused by poorly maintained wiring, remain the leading cause of fire incidents in India. In 2024, a fire at a private hospital in the southern state of Tamil Nadu killed at least six people and injured more than two dozen.
The same year, 10 newborns were killed when a fire engulfed a hospital in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.
Building fires are common in India due to a lack of firefighting equipment and a routine disregard for safety regulations.
