BHOPAL: A fire erupted at the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) of Kamala Nehru Hospital on Monday night, triggering panic. There were at least 50 children admitted at the time.
Three children died at the children’s ward of Kamla Nehru Hospital in Bhopal following an incident of fire, tweeted Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The CM has also ordered a high-level enquiry into the incident.

Around midnight, after the flames were doused, officials said that there were no deaths. The children and six adults were shifted to other wards. Some nurses and staff are believed to have suffered smoke inhalation. Till midnight, many of the patients’ kin were seen waiting outside the hospital, awaiting news of their children.
Fire brigade officials said that Ratnesh, a hospital employee, alerted the control room at 8.40pm about the fire on the third floor. A dozen fire engines rushed to the site, along with teams from Koh-e-Fiza police station.

Smoke engulfed the building, triggering panic among patients’ relatives, who rushed in to save them. Chaos broke out in the darkened, smoke-filled building and security staff forced the patients’ relatives out, triggering anger. They kept arguing and pleading with police to be allowed in to check on their babies.
“The flames and burning wires caused chaos, and smog engulfed the floor,” said Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) fire officer Rameshwar Neel.
SP (north) Vijay Khatri said the fire was quickly brought under control with the help of 25 fire-tenders from Fatehgarh, Bairagarh and Shahjehanabad stations. “Children from PICU have been shifted to another ward and there were no casualties,” said Khatri. Neel said an electric short circuit may have triggered the fire.
MP medical education minister Vishwas Sarang was present at the hospital during the firefight.