ESIC Hospital Fire: Santosh Gangwar announces Rs 10 lakh ex-gratia for kin of deceased

Union Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar on Tuesday announced ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh each to the families of those who lost their lives in the fire accident at ESIC hospital in Mumbai.

He also announced Rs 2 lakh each was announced for those who have serious injuries and Rs 1 lakh each for those with minor injuries.

Prior to the announcement, Santosh Kumar Gangwar held a meeting with officials of Labour Ministry and ESIC at Delhi and directed to extend all possible help to the kins of deceased and injured persons.

Later in the day, Gangwar along with Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment and Director General, ESIC will visit the hospital to oversee the relief work and to meet the injured persons and kins of deceased.

A level-3 fire broke out at ESIC Kamgar Hospital in Mumbai’s Andheri on Monday afternoon. Eight persons are reported to have died due to suffocation in this tragic accident. Around 158 persons were injured in the fire accident out of which 57 are now discharged from the hospital.

The admitted patients and their attendants were rescued and shifted to nearby hospitals with the help of firefighters, doctors and staff of the hospital.

However, the cause of fire is being ascertained. As per a preliminary report, the building material lying at the ground floor of hospital for renovation work caught fire which led to a generation of smoke.

In October, a level-3 fire broke out in a slum at Lalmati, opposite Bandra Fire Station on Nagardas Road in Mumbai.

Also Read: Mumbai: Level-3 fire at ESIC Kamgar Hospital claims 8; over 140 rescued