Bharuch hospital fire

On 1 May 2021, a fire in a hospital in Bharuch, Gujarat, India, killed at least 16 COVID-19 patients and 2 nurses.

Background
India is badly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and facing a second wave of the pandemic. On 23 April 2021, 13 COVID-19 patients in a hospital in Virar, Maharashtra, died after a fire broke out at the intensive care unit (ICU) of the hospital.

Incident
In the early hours of 1 May 2021, at 1 AM, a fire broke out in the COVID-19 ward of Bharuch Welfare Hospital, a COVID-19 designated hospital, located around 190 km from Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

Aftermath
The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi expressed his deep condolences by saying,  Pained by the loss of lives due to a fire at a hospital in Bharuch. The Chief Minister of Gujarat, Vijay Rupani announced ex-gratia aid of inr 400000 for kin of victims.