Maharashtra Chief
Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday said strict action will be taken against
those found responsible for the fire at a hospital in a Mumbai mall, which
resulted in the death of 10 patients.

Speaking to
reporters after visiting the mall, Thackeray apologised to the families of the
victims and announced Rs 5 lakh compensation to the kin of each deceased.

Thackeray said the fire did not break out in the hospital, but at some office or shop situated
below it.

According to
officials, the incident occurred in Sunrise Hospital in the Dreams Mall
building in Bhandup area shortly after Thursday midnight. The hospital is
located on the top floor of the four-storeyed mall building and there were 76
patients, most of them being treated for COVID-19, when the fire broke out.

The chief minister
said the state government had last year allowed some hospitals to treat
COVID-19 patients given the spread of the disease and the said that the
facility in the Bhandup mall was one of them.

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“The
permission was to end on March 31. Unfortunately, the fire broke on the first
floor of the mall and spread upwards,” he said.

The chief minister
said that efforts were made to rescue all the patients admitted to the
hospital. However, it took some time to evacuate those who were on ventilators.

“Unfortunately,
they died,” he said.

“We wake up
after such incidents take place and then a probe is carried out. This incident,
too, will be investigated. Action will be taken as per law probe against
whoever is at fault,” Thackeray added.

He said that in
the recent past he had issued instructions to carry out structural and fire
audits of COVID-19 care centres and field hospitals across the state.

“I had asked
(the authorities) to ensure such incidents do not occur. Still, unfortunately,
this has taken place.

“…I express
regret to those who have lost their kin in the incident,” he said in
Marathi.

Speaking in Hindi,
Thackeray later said, “I apologise to the kin of those who died in the
incident.” The chief minister said that compensation of Rs 5 lakh will be
given to the next kin of each deceased.