Bhubaneswar: The head of the Catholic Church in Odisha has mourned the death of 22 patients in a fire at a leading private hospital in the eastern Indian state.

More than 120 people also suffered serious burns when fire broke out on October 17 evening in the Sum Hospital in Bhubaneswar, the state capital.

“It is with great sadness that I express my deepest sympathy for the demise of patients,” said Archbishop John Barwa of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar after hearing about the deaths.

While 14 patients were declared “brought dead” at Capital Hospital, eight were “brought dead” to another hospital (AMRI) from the fire-struck private medical facility, officials said.

Archbishop Barwa prayed for eternal rest to the dead and speedy recovery to the wounded.

Hospital administrator Basanta Kumar Pati said on October 18 that they have brought the fire under control. “All patients have been evacuated. There is no longer any danger to anyone,” he told media persons. “We have deployed all our manpower and machinery to douse the flames.’”

Police commissioner Y B Khurania led the team that maintained law and order around the hospital. “It took some time for the fire personnel and rescue workers to reach the affected areas of the hospital,” he said.

Kanisko Uthan Singh, a research assistant at the hospital, said he was terrified when he saw the fire.

The fire broke out in the dialysis wing on the first floor following an alleged short circuit around 7:40 pm.

Institute of Medical Sciences and Sum Hospital, established in 2005, is a leading medical institute providing quality medical education and global standard health care services.

The Medical Council of India under the federal Ministry of Health and Family Welfare approved the institute’s MBBS program in 2007 and post graduate programs four years later.

Sum Hospital, a part of the medical institute, has 1,200 beds. It offers therapeutic care with a focus on preventive care for a healthy society. IMS & SH have a promise to serve the society with care and human touch.

The hospital has the largest intensive care unit in Odisha.

More than 100 patients are undergoing intensive care treatment in nine hospitals in the capital city. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik visited injured at two hospitals on October 18.

The condition of most patients shifted to different hospitals across Bhubaneswar and Cuttack was stated to be steady, even as one person died at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar, on October 18 morning.

. Patnaik described the mishap as “very tragic“ and ordered a probe headed by a revenue divisional commissioner into the incident.

According to sources, the tragedy occurred due to suffocation as the smoke spread in most of the wards soon after the fire. Most victims were on oxygen support.

The fire was first spotted in the dialysis unit in the first floor of the hospital. Subsequently, hospital staff tried to douse the fire with two fire extinguishers for nearly 20 minutes. When the situation went out of control, fire service personnel were called in. During the process, they lost the critical time for fire-fighting.

The smoke started spreading to different parts of the hospital through ducts of air conditioning and false ceiling.

Attendants of patients blamed the hospital authorities for lack of communication in the evacuation process.

State Health Secretary Aarti Ahuja, who took stock of the situation, said dialysis, medicine and emergency wards had been sealed and a probe would immediately begin.