Panic evacuation in Lucknow trauma centre after major fire

LUCKNOW: Panic gripped the Trauma Centre of King George’s Medical University here on Saturday evening when a major fire broke out on the second floor of the multi-storied building.

Doctors, paramedics, attendants and security personnel had a tough time evacuating the about 200 critical patients amidst the bellowing spoke. The evacuation process continued till late in the night. Several door and window panes had to be broken in a bid to let the smoke escape and facilitate evacuation that continued till late in the night.

A critically ill woman, who left Trauma Centre for Lohia Hospital after the incident, reportedly died on the way.

“It happened all of a sudden. No alarm was heard. Only a few attendants came rushing to the ward and screamed fire and soon the building was engulfed in fire and smoke,” said an attendant at the Trauma Centre that has capacity to admit over 250 patients at a time in its four floors.

As it was night time, patients had great difficulty in moving out and they had no idea where to go or whom to contact. Many patients were seen crying for help, while the ‘inadequate’ security personnel could manage to rescue only a few of them.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath has ordered an inquiry in the incident. Early probe indicated there was short circuit in the store on the second floor.

“I felt like choking as I moved out of the ward with my mother Shashikala,” said another attendant. Patients who were at the causality ward or at the diagnostic centre for X-ray, CT scan etc at the ground floor were seen coming out on stretchers with the help of their attendants. Some of them were being administered normal saline and they came out with great difficulty.