2020 Vijayawada fire

Last updated

2020 Vijayawada fire
2020 Vijayawada fire
Date9 August 2020 (2020-08-09)
Location Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, India
CauseElectrical short-circuit in air conditioner
Deaths11
Non-fatal injuries22

On 9 August 2020, a major fire broke out in early morning hours (around 5am IST) at a COVID-19 facility located at the Hotel Swarna Palace in the city of Vijayawada, in the state of Andhra Pradesh. [1] The fire blaze killed 11 people and wounded a further 22. [2] The hotel was used as a temporary COVID-19 facility as it was leased out by the private hospital Ramesh Hospitals Vijayawada for the purpose of treating infected COVID-19 patients. [3] An electrical short circuit was described as the ultimate reason for the incident. [4] The fire had been brought under control by the firefighters within a space of 30 minutes. The patients who survived from the fire blaze were transferred to another quarantine centre.

Contents

Background

India has recorded numerous cases related to fire accidents in the history mainly due to lack of safety facilities and inadequate fire extinguishers. The Visakhapatnam gas leak, the Delhi factory fire, and the Delhi hotel fire were the country's worst fire accidents in the recent times. India is currently the second worst affected country in the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the fire incident has posed further burden and humiliation to the healthcare sector impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in India.

Incident

The fire blaze erupted at the Vijayawada coronavirus hotel facility killing around 11 COVID-19 patients, injuring 22 others. [5] [6] The fire broke out initially in the first floor and second floor before spreading quickly to third and fifth floors. It was reported that two patients who were panickingly rushed, screamed for help and jumped from the hotel terrace to escape from the blaze. [7] Nine patients died due to suffocation caused by fire blaze and one reportedly died succumbing to burn injuries. [8] There were a total of about 30 patients being treated for COVID-19 along with ten hospital staff prior to the incident.

Development

Ramesh Hospitals Vijayawada branch had Memorandum of understanding agreement with the Swarna Palace Hotel to run and maintain a COVID-19 centre on a lease basis. It was revealed that the COVID-19 centre was opened in the Swarna Palace on 9 August 2020 and on the same day itself a fire broke out due to electrical defects. [9] A FIR was also filed against both the Ramesh Hospitals and the Swarna Palace for the possible acknowledgment regarding the electrical defects before establishing the COVID-19 centre. [10] Vijayawada COVID-19 hotel facility was later blamed for violating fire safety norms and measures. [11]

Response

Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy announced a relief package compensation of five million rupees for the affected families. [12] [13] Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his deep condolences regarding the tragic incident and tweeted that he was anguished by the terrible incident. [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palakollu</span> City in Andhra Pradesh, India

Palakollu is a city and the administrative headquarters of Palakollu Mandal in Narasapuram revenue division in West Godavari district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Palakollu is situated in Coastal Andhra region of the state. It occupies 4.685 square kilometres (1.809 sq mi). As of 2011 census, it had a population of about 61,284 and a Metro population of about 81,199. Palakollu Municipality merged five Grama panchayats of Seven village's on 7 January 2020. The Seven Villages' had a population of 42,932 as of 2011 Census. It around occupies 20.08 square kilometres (7.75 sq mi) and after merged palakollu municipality, It around occupies 24.68 square kilometres (9.53 sq mi) with 35 election wards it is total population of 1,04,216 and making it the third most populous urban area in West Godavari District in Andhra Pradesh. It is a part of Eluru Urban Development Authority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andhra Loyola College</span>

Andhra Loyola College is a private, Catholic higher education institution run by the Andhra Province of the Society of Jesus in Andhra Pradesh, India. It was founded by the Jesuits in 9 December 1953.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nuzvid</span> City in Andhra Pradesh, India

Nuzvid, natively spelled Nuzividu or Nuziveedu is a city in the Eluru district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It serves as the administrative headquarters for Nuzvid mandal and Nuzvid revenue division.

The Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust (SSSCT), is a registered public charitable trust founded in 1972 by Sri Sathya Sai Baba. They are known for charitable and humanitarian work, including drinking water projects, healthcare and education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amaravati</span> Capital of Andhra Pradesh, India

Amaravati is the capital of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located on the right bank of the river Krishna in Guntur district.

Events in the year 2020 in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human rights issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic</span>

The public health measures associated with the COVID-19 pandemic effectively contained and reduced the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus on a global scale between the years 2020–2023, and had several other positive effects on the natural environment of planet Earth and human societies as well, including improved air quality and oxygen levels due to reduced air and water pollution, lower crime rates across the world, and less frequent violent crimes perpetrated by violent non-state actors, such as ISIS and other Islamic terrorist organizations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 pandemic in Delhi</span> Ongoing COVID-19 viral pandemic in Delhi, India

The first case of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Indian capital of Delhi was reported on 2 March 2020. Delhi has the seventh-highest number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in India. The total number of cases reported as of Apr 2022, is 1,867,572 consisting of 26,158 deaths and 1,840,342 who have recovered.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in India (January–May 2020)</span> Sequence of major events in ongoing COVID-19 viral pandemic in India

The following is the timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in India from January 2020 through May 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 pandemic in Andhra Pradesh</span> Ongoing COVID-19 viral pandemic in Andhra Pradesh, India

The first case of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh was reported in Nellore on 12 March 2020. A 24-year-old who was confirmed positive for coronavirus. He had travel history to Italy. The Andhra Pradesh Health department has confirmed a total of 5,37,687 cases, including 4,702 deaths and 4,35,467 recoveries, as of 10 September. The virus has spread in 13 districts of the state, of which East Godavari has the highest number of cases.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 pandemic in West Bengal</span> Ongoing COVID-19 viral pandemic in West Bengal, India

The COVID-19 pandemic was first confirmed in the Indian state of West Bengal on 17 March 2020 in Kolkata. The Health and Family Welfare department of Government of West Bengal has confirmed a total of 13,43,442 COVID-19 positive cases, including 1,09,806 active cases, 15,120 deaths and 12,18,516 recoveries, as of 28 May 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 pandemic in Assam</span> Ongoing COVID-19 viral pandemic in Assam, India

The first case of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Indian state of Assam was reported on 31 March 2020. As of 16 February 2024, the Government of Assam has confirmed a total of 89,468 positive cases of COVID-19 including 67,641 recoveries, three migrations and 234 deaths in the state. The state's as well as northeast's largest city, Guwahati, has been worst affected by coronavirus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NHS Nightingale Hospital London</span> Temporary NHS COVID-19 hospital set up in ExCeL London

The NHS Nightingale Hospital London was the first of the NHS Nightingale Hospitals, temporary hospitals set up by NHS England for the COVID-19 pandemic. It was housed in the ExCeL London convention centre in East London. The hospital was rapidly planned and constructed, being formally opened on 3 April and receiving its first patients on 7 April 2020. It served 54 patients during the first wave of the pandemic, and was used to serve non-COVID patients and provide vaccinations during the second wave. It was closed in April 2021.

COVID-19 hospitalsin the United Kingdom are temporary hospitals set up in the United Kingdom and overseas territories as part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Tablighi Jamaat religious congregation that took place in Delhi's Nizamuddin Markaz Mosque in early March 2020 was a COVID-19 super-spreader event, with more than 4,000 confirmed cases and at least 27 deaths linked to the event reported across the country. Over 9,000 missionaries may have attended the congregation, with the majority being from various states of India, and 960 attendees from 40 foreign countries. On 18 April, 4,291 confirmed cases of COVID-19 linked to this event by the Union Health Ministry represented a third of all the confirmed cases of India. Around 40,000 people, including Tablighi Jamaat attendees and their contacts, were quarantined across the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garran Surge Centre</span> Temporary hospital in Canberra, Australia

The Garran Surge Centre, also known as the Canberra Coronavirus Field Hospital was a temporary hospital in Canberra, Australia created in response to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. The hospital was constructed by Aspen Medical, a Canberra-based company with experience managing medical responses to disasters and providing contracted medical services to government agencies in several countries. The facility was located on Garran Oval, a sports field to the northeast of the existing Canberra Hospital campus.

On 20 August 2020, a major fire broke out in late night hours in an underground hydroelectric power plant in Srisailam in the state of Telangana. The fire blaze killed 9 people, including 5 engineers and 15 employees who were inside the power plant escaped since the fire broke out. It was suspected that the fire broke out due to a short circuit situated at Srisailam's dam left bank. The fire was brought under control by the firefighters after several hours of struggle as of 21 August 2020 and the rescue operations were delayed for hours due to smoke. The bodies of nine workers were recovered during the rescue operations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eluru outbreak</span> Unknown disease outbreak in Andhra Pradesh, India, 2020

In early December 2020, an acute neurological disease broke out in Eluru, a city located in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The first case was reported on 5 December, with hundreds more falling ill and one person dying over the next week. The cause was initially unknown, but on 20 December, AIIMS and NEERI Research Institute came to a conclusion that pesticides leaching into the water supply is the most likely reason.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nasiriyah hospital fire</span> Structure fire in hospital in Iraq

A fire occurred at a Al-Hussein Teaching Hospital for COVID-19 isolation ward in Nasiriyah, Nasiriyah District, Dhi Qar Governorate, Iraq, on 12 July 2021. The fire left at least 60 people dead and another 100 were injured.

On the evening of 8 September 2021, a fire broke out in the modular hospital for COVID-19 patients in Tetovo. The fire killed 14 people, 12 of whom were patients and two were relatives of the patients. The security camera footage of the fire has showed that the fire spread rapidly and engulfed the hospital.

References

  1. ↑ "Deadly fire at coronavirus facility in south India". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  2. ↑ "Fire at Indian Covid facility kills at least 10". BBC News. 9 August 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  3. ↑ "10 Dead In Fire At Hotel Used As Covid Care Facility In Andhra". NDTV.com. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  4. ↑ ANI. "Cause of Vijayawada hotel fire appears to be short circuit, says preliminary report". BW Businessworld. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  5. ↑ "10 dead in fire at coronavirus facility in Vijayawada hotel". The Indian Express. 9 August 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  6. ↑ Aluri, Srikanth (9 August 2020). "Vijayawada Fire Accident Today: 11 killed in fire at Vijayawada hotel used as Covid facility". The Times of India. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  7. ↑ Srinivas, Rajulapudi (9 August 2020). "Vijayawada fire | Patients jumped off second floor to escape from building". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  8. ↑ Srinivas, Rajulapudi (9 August 2020). "Vijayawada fire | 10 dead in private COVID-19 care centre blaze, CM announces ex gratia". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  9. ↑ Reddy, U. Sudhakar (9 August 2020). "Vijayawada fire: Police file FIR against Ramesh Hospital and Swarna Palace hotel". The Times of India. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  10. ↑ "Andhra Pradesh: FIR registered in Vijayawada fire incident". Hindustan Times. 9 August 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  11. ↑ "Vijayawada Covid-19 hotel facility violated fire safety norms: Official". hindustantimes.com. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  12. ↑ correspondent, dc (9 August 2020). "Swarna Palace hotel has no NOC, firefighting systems were not working: Officials". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  13. ↑ "Punjab reports 24 more deaths; 987 new cases take tally to 23,903". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 9 August 2020.[ dead link ]
  14. ↑ "PM Modi 'anguished' by fire at hotel being used as Covid-19 facility in Vijayawada". Hindustan Times. 9 August 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2020.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.