Overview
- Officials confirmed the death toll reached 12 after two more patients died on Tuesday, following the blaze that started before 3 am in the trauma care ICU.
- Twenty-three patients were on the first-floor trauma unit; seven died during shifting to other wards and three later succumbed, while multiple others remain under treatment.
- Preliminary findings point to an electrical short circuit with two ventilators flagged as the likely ignition source, with the fire alarm reportedly off and the sprinkler control valve found closed.
- Odisha appointed retired judge Laxmidhar Biswal to lead a judicial inquiry, and a six-member fact-finding panel headed by Development Commissioner D K Singh is examining the incident; the NHRC has sought a report.
- The state announced Rs 25 lakh to each bereaved family, while the Prime Minister approved Rs 2 lakh for the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured, as around 11 hospital staff injured in rescues receive care.