Headline: Probe Body Formed After Khulna Medical College Hospital Fire; Electrical Short Circuit Suspected
KHULNA, May 21, (V7N )— A five-member committee has been formed to investigate the fire at Khulna Medical College Hospital (KMCH).
The district administration set up the committee Wednesday night on instructions from higher authorities.
KMCH Director Sheikh Ainul Haque will head the committee, with Additional District Magistrate Nurul Bhai Mohammad Anas as member secretary.
Other members include acting deputy director of Fire Service and Civil Defence Md Masud Sardar, Executive Engineer of the Public Works Department’s Electromechanical Division Abdul Halim, and a representative from West Zone Power Distribution Company Limited (WZPDCL).
Md Masud Sardar said preliminary findings indicate the fire started from an electrical short circuit.
The blaze damaged several beds in the post-operative ward next to the operation theatre and some discarded materials stored in a third-floor storeroom. The committee has been asked to submit its report within 24 hours.
Two nurses and one fire service member were injured during the evacuation and rescue operation. The injured firefighter was sent to Dhaka for advanced treatment.
Several patients reportedly died after relatives removed their oxygen support in panic during evacuation.
The fire broke out around 6 a.m. Wednesday on the third floor of the four-storey hospital building. Ten firefighting units brought it under control after nearly an hour.
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