Nearly 250 patients evacuated in hospital fire in India

A fire broke out in a pharmacy at a state-run medical college and hospital complex in eastern India, causing panic among nearly 250 patients who have been evacuated to safe wards. No casualties have been reported. (AP/Bikas Das)
  • No injuries have been reported so far in the blaze that broke out Wednesday morning
  • Fire accidents are common in buildings in India because of poor quality of electrical wiring and other safety standards

KOLKATA, India: A fire has broken out in a pharmacy at a state-run medical college and hospital complex in eastern India, causing panic among nearly 250 patients who have been evacuated to safe wards.
Dr. Nirmal Mazi, a doctor at the hospital, says no injuries have been reported so far in the blaze that broke out Wednesday morning.
Mazi said Ten fire engines brought the fire under control, but the smoke is still billowing from the building in Kolkata, the West Bengal state capital. The cause of the fire is being investigated.
Fire accidents are common in buildings in India because of poor quality of electrical wiring and other safety standards.
Last month, a devastating fire in a commercial building gutted hundreds of shops and business offices in the city.