Maharashtra cabinet minister Rajesh Tope on Friday said that the fire incident at a COVID hospital in Virar, in which 13 patients died, is not national news. The fire broke out in the wee hours of Friday in the ICU on the second floor of the four-storeyed Vijay Vallabh Hospital in Virar, which is over 50 km from Mumbai. 

“This is not national news. The state government is taking all steps to help the patients and their relatives,” Rajesh Tope said. He added that the state government will take action on the issue. The state minister also announced an ex gratia for Rs 5 lakh for the family of those who died in the incident. 

He said, “We have announced probe and the report will be submitted in ten days. We will take strict action against those who are responsible for not doing compliance with mandatory fire, electrical and structural audit.”

Earlier on Friday, Rajesh Tope tweeted about the incident, called it unfortunate’, and said, “The fire incident at Virar based Vijay Vallabh Hospital’s ICU section has claimed 13 lives. It is a very unfortunate and painful incident. CM Thackeray has ordered in-depth inquiry into this accident.”

According to an official, when the fire broke out in the ICU, there were 17 patients, of which four were rescued and shifted to another hospital in the area. 

The incident comes two days after 24 COVID-19 patients suffocated to death when their oxygen supply stopped suddenly because of a malfunction in the main storage at a civic-run hospital at Nashik in Maharashtra.