Muzaffarpur hospital blaze kills 3 patients, leaves 20 injured

A horrific fire broke out at a hospital in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district in the early hours of Thursday, leaving at least three people dead and over 20 others injured. The blaze, which reportedly started around 3:00 AM, saw thick, toxic smoke quickly fill the building, causing immediate panic and chaos among patients and staff. While emergency teams managed to evacuate dozens of patients, several of those rescued remain in critical condition and have been rushed to nearby medical facilities for urgent care.

Preliminary investigations conducted by district authorities suggest that the fire originated from a short circuit in the oxygen unit and monitoring system. District Magistrate Subrat Kumar Sen confirmed the three fatalities and noted that the hospital's ICU in-charge is among those gravely injured. As the investigation continues, authorities are working to cross-reference hospital records to account for every patient who was admitted at the time of the incident, as several families have reported being unable to locate their relatives.

The rescue operation faced significant hurdles, with Fire Officer RN Pandey noting that the ICU was already completely engulfed in smoke by the time firefighters arrived. Furthermore, emergency responders reported a troubling lack of hospital staff on the premises during the height of the crisis. This apparent abandonment has sparked outrage among victims' families, who have leveled serious allegations of negligence and mismanagement against the hospital administration.

One grieving family member claimed that his father died in the ICU, yet authorities failed to promptly hand over the body, alleging that many employees simply disappeared as the smoke spread. The Civil Surgeon and senior district officials remain on-site to coordinate medical assistance and oversee the formal inquiry. The tragedy comes just a day after a similar fatal hotel fire in Delhi, raising urgent questions about fire safety protocols in public and private institutions across the country.