Fire breaks out at Hyderabad Hospital

A fire broke out at the Park super speciality hospital in Hyderabad on Tuesday morning.

The relatively new hospital, opened just six months ago, could have turned into a death trap as it did not have adequate fire safety measures including fire exits.

Many passengers jumped out of their rooms to escape the flames that engulfed the post-operative wards and the Intensive Care Unit. Firefighters also smashed windows to enter patients' rooms.

Forty-two patients were evacuated and shifted to Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) and Yashoda Hospital.

Amidst the tension, one nurse suffered a cardiac arrest and six others were critical because of asphyxiation. The nurse was later revived and the other patients were treated after they were moved to safety.

Employees at the Park Hospital, located in Hyderabad's Somajiguda area, say a short circuit may have caused the fire.

The parts of the hospital that were affected housed patients who could not move.

"Accident happening in commercial, residential complex is different. In hospital, most patients can't even sit up without help of attendants. So evacuating was a big task,'' said AK Khan, the Hyderabad Police Commissioner.

The fact that there were no emergency exits near them has left officials shocked.