Jaipur hospital fire kills 6 patients; families allege negligence
A late-night fire broke out in the neurosurgery ICU at Jaipur's Sawai Man Singh (SMS) Hospital on Sunday, killing six critically ill patients.
The blaze, likely caused by a short circuit in a storage room, quickly filled the ward with smoke and toxic gasses.
Hospital officials said the patients died because their intensive care was disrupted during evacuation and due to the effects of smoke inhalation—not from burns.
Families accuse staff of ignoring warnings
Families have accused hospital staff of ignoring early warnings and failing to help patients escape.
Some staff say they tried to rescue people but were blocked by heavy smoke and flames.
Firefighters took nearly two hours to put out the fire, which destroyed equipment and forced emergency transfers.
Rajasthan's Chief Minister has ordered an inquiry into what went wrong and whether anyone was negligent.