Maharashtra hospital fire: Some COVID-19 patients died due to smoke, say police
Pune(PTI): A day after a major fire at the ICU of a civil hospital in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar district killed 11 people, it has emerged that some of the victims died due to smoke which engulfed the ward following the blaze, according to a police official.
The blaze erupted around 11 am on Saturday in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) ward where 17 COVID-19 patients, many of them senior citizens and some on ventilator or oxygen, were undergoing treatment at the hospital in Ahmednagar, located 120 km from Pune and 253 km from Mumbai.
The ward had been added to the hospital after the pandemic began, officials earlier said.
"Some patients died of burns, while some died due to the smoke. We are waiting for a detailed postmortem report. Further investigation in the case is on," Topkhana police station's assistant police inspector Juber Mujawar said on Sunday.
One of the deceased is yet to be identified, he said.
Late Saturday evening, a case was registered against unidentified persons under Indian Penal Code Section 304 (A) (causing death by negligence), Ahmednagar district Superintendent of Police Manoj Patil.
A short circuit was suspected to be the cause of the blaze, though it was yet to be confirmed, chief fire officer of the city civic body Shankar Misal said.
According to the patients' relatives who normally waited in the corridor outside the ICU, they had been asked to step out as cleaning was going on. Many of them rushed back when they saw thick black smoke billowing from the ward and tried to rescue the patients.
As per district Collector Rajendra Bhosale, a fire audit had been carried out at the hospital. But according to Misal, after the audit, the work of installing necessary safety systems was incomplete due to "want of funds".
Most of those who died were aged between 65 and 83, according to hospital officials.
A probe committee headed by Misal will look into what led to the tragedy, the collector earlier said.
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said an in-depth probe will be conducted by the district collector, according to a statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office.
Maharashtra Energy Minister Nitin Raut ordered a detailed inquiry into the fire. The electricity department's inspection team had reached the hospital and will conduct a probe, he said.
In April this year, 15 COVID-19 patients had died in a blaze at the ICU of a private hospital in the state's Palghar district.
Another fire in March at Dreams Mall in Mumbai's Bhandup area, which housed a Covid-designated hospital, had claimed the lives of nine such patients.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
