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At least 40 patients were injured while rushing out of Rangpur Medical College Hospital in panic after a fire broke out in the electrical control room on the ground floor on Thursday morning.
The fire started around 6:15am on October 22, spreading thick smoke and flames and triggering panic throughout the hospital.
A Fire Service team rushed to the scene and brought the blaze under control after about 30 minutes of efforts.
The fire plunged the hospital into darkness after disrupting its electricity supply. Although partial power was restored to some wards after prolonged efforts, the nephrology, cardiology, gynaecology and kidney dialysis wards remained without electricity.
As a result, emergency operations and other medical services were suspended.
Patients and their relatives rushed to leave wards on the second to fifth floors after hearing about the fire. Many fell while trying to descend the stairs, leaving at least 40 people injured.
In the nephrology ward on the second floor, kidney patient Shafiul Alam and two of his nephews were injured while they were trying to get downstairs. At least 15 patients from the ward were reportedly injured in the rush.
Several children were also injured as patients and their relatives hurried down from the third-floor gynaecology ward with newborn babies.
Mumtaz Begum, a patient in the gynaecology ward, said her baby daughter was born five days ago. She was injured while rushing downstairs with the newborn after hearing about the fire.
Many people also used the hospital’s metal emergency staircase to escape, with several sustaining injuries in the crush.
As of 4pm, electricity had not been restored to several areas, including the director’s office, cardiology, pathology, dermatology and sexual health, kidney dialysis and nephrology wards. Patients were suffering in the heat due to the prolonged power disruption.
Acting hospital director Dr Abdul Mokaddem said the fire had originated from an electrical short circuit. He added that efforts were underway to restore the electricity supply.