Six pilgrims have died and seven were injured, including one in serious condition, in a tragic fire incident during a religious ritual in Mauritius.
The incident occurred when a wooden and bamboo cart carrying figurines of Hindu deities caught fire after coming into contact with exposed electric wires.
Police commissioner Anil Kumar Dip confirmed the accident on national television. The pilgrims were on their way to the sacred Grand Bassin lake, a significant site for the Hindu community in Mauritius, to celebrate the upcoming Shivaratri festival on March 8.
“Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire,” he said.
In another fire incident in Dhanbad, almost 200 patients admitted to Shaheed Nirmal Mahto Medical College and Hospital, SNMMCH , had a close call when a destructive fire broke out in the hospital’s dialysis unit late Friday night.
In a separate incident, eight roadside shops were completely destroyed by a fire, but there were no injuries reported in either incident.
It was reported that smoke was first noticed coming from the dialysis unit of SNMMCH at approximately 9:45 pm. The smoke quickly spread to the adjacent gynecology and pediatric wards, causing panic among the patients.
The hospital staff and resident doctors promptly relocated the patients from the dialysis unit to a safe area.
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Subsequently, the smoke reached the neonatal care unit and the orthopedic ward located above the dialysis unit, as well as the medicine and surgical wards below. Frightened patients and their attendants hurriedly evacuated the hospital.
Lakshman Prasad, the district fire officer, stated that they received information about the fire at around 9:55 pm and immediately dispatched two fire tenders to the scene. He further informed that several patients requiring oxygen support and those with fractured limbs had to be moved on stretchers. It took approximately one and a half hours and four fire tenders to extinguish the fire.
Dr. Jyoti Ranjan Prasad, the principal of the college, mentioned that the exact cause of the fire can ..
only be determined after a thorough investigation. He added, “We suspect a short-circuit may have triggered the fire. Additionally, the electrical fittings in the dialysis unit and the RO plant have been extensively damaged.”
The second fire incident occurred near Purana Bazar Pani Tanki at around 12:45 am. The fire, believed to have originated from a sweet shop due to a short-circuit, engulfed eight to nine additional shops. Fire officer Lakshman Prasad stated that it took approximately three hours and four fire tenders to bring the fire under control.
