Mumbai Covid centre fire toll rises to 5, 73 rescued (Ld)

Mumbai, March 26 (IANS) The death toll in a major fire on Friday in the Dreams Mall of Mumbai’s Bhandup area — where a Covid-19 centre, Sunrise Hospital was located — has gone up to 5 and many other patients were injured and around 73 evacuated, officials said.The 5 dead and 3 injured were all senior citizens undergoing Covid-19 treatment at the hospital, and efforts are on to trace some others feared missing. According to the BMC Disaster Control the blaze was noticed around midnight on the first floor and quicky spread to the two upper floors of the 3-storey mall, which houses the Covid-19 hospital on the top floor.Mumbai Fire Brigade and disaster teams rushed to combat the blaze and to rescue and transfer the Covid patients to other hospitals in the vicinity.Earlier, a hospital statement said that there were bodies of 2 Covid-19 patients in the premises, and further details of the same were awaited.At least 10 fire-tenders were battling the blaze till this morning and top officials, including Additional Municipal Commissioner Suresh Kakani, top fire brigade, police and civic officials rushed to spot.The rescued patients were shifted to the jumbo Covid field hospital in Mulund and Fortis Hospital.–IANSqn/dpb