Six board members of the AMRI hospital in Kolkata have been arrested for culpable homicide after this morning's fire in which 89 people - 85 patients and four staff members - died. The board members - reported to also be the owners of the hospital - voluntarily surrendered at a local police station.
There were 160 people inside the hospital in Dhakuria, south Kolkata, when the fire began at about 3 am.
Families of the victims and the government accuse the privately-owned and posh hospital of ignoring basic fire safety laws; they also say that after the fire began, doctors and staff members abandoned patients, many of who were immobile.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said this morning's tragedy was "an unforgivable crime" and vowed "the harshest punishment possible" for those found responsible. "As per my announcement that offenders will be arrested, six persons, including SK Todi, have been arrested," Ms Banerjee told reporters. "Law will take its own course. Those responsible for so many deaths will be dealt with seriously," she said. Ms Banerjee said the fire services authorities and the police had cautioned the AMRI Hospital authorities in September about its basement. "AMRI had given an undertaking, but did not keep it," she said.
The licence of the hospital has been cancelled. A First Information Report or FIR has also been filed, which launches a criminal case. "It was horrifying that the hospital authorities did not make any effort to rescue trapped patients," said Subrata Mukherjee, West Bengal state minister for public health engineering. "Senior hospital authorities ran away after the fire broke out."
There were 160 people inside the hospital in Dhakuria, south Kolkata, when the fire began at about 3 am.
Families of the victims and the government accuse the privately-owned and posh hospital of ignoring basic fire safety laws; they also say that after the fire began, doctors and staff members abandoned patients, many of who were immobile.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said this morning's tragedy was "an unforgivable crime" and vowed "the harshest punishment possible" for those found responsible. "As per my announcement that offenders will be arrested, six persons, including SK Todi, have been arrested," Ms Banerjee told reporters. "Law will take its own course. Those responsible for so many deaths will be dealt with seriously," she said. Ms Banerjee said the fire services authorities and the police had cautioned the AMRI Hospital authorities in September about its basement. "AMRI had given an undertaking, but did not keep it," she said.
The licence of the hospital has been cancelled. A First Information Report or FIR has also been filed, which launches a criminal case. "It was horrifying that the hospital authorities did not make any effort to rescue trapped patients," said Subrata Mukherjee, West Bengal state minister for public health engineering. "Senior hospital authorities ran away after the fire broke out."