NEW DELHI //Scores of relatives gathered yesterday to pay last respects to family members who died in Friday's hospital fire that killed 90 people.
They gathered at the Kalighat crematorium in Kolkata to cremate the remains of loved ones in accordance with Hindu tradition.
Most of the victims died of asphyxiation as they slept. Noxious black fumes filled the corridors and rooms of the Advanced Medical Research Institute (AMRI) Hospital after fire broke out in the basement before dawn on Friday. Many medical staff fled the scene as the fire spread out of control, leaving their patients behind. Of the 90 dead, 86 were patients and four were hospital staff.
Pradip Sarkar, 37, was in the hospital with his father-in-law when his brother-in-law and he noticed smoke. They left the patient's room on the fourth floor to check with hospital authorities.
"The night manager and two secretaries were trying to contain the blaze with fire extinguishers so we went back upstairs to move my father-in-law out of the hospital," he said.
A doctor told him the fire or fumes could not reach the intensive coronary care unit, where Mr Sarkar's father-in-law was being treated.
"We listened to him and went downstairs again to check, but by the time we got down, the smoke was so thick that we could not go back up again. So we waited in vain outside all night, fearing the worst."
His father-in-law died from smoke inhalation, unable to move from his bed.
Mr Sarkar and his relatives were among those performing last rites in Kalighat yesterday.
"This place was full of families bringing in their beloved, knowing none of us could do anything to save them."
Authorities had warned the hospital in September that the basement was a hazard.
The basement was designed to be a car park but was being used to store supplies, including radiation equipment. No action was taken by the hospital to improve safety, said West Bengal state's chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who revoked the hospital's licence on Friday.
"This is a tragic incident and a criminal offence," said Ms Banerjee, who is also the state's health minister.
The AMRI Hospital - recently rated by an Indian magazine as one of the best in Kolkata - did not have proper firefighting equipment, despite a six-month-old order to upgrade, said Damyani Sen, the joint police commissioner of Kolkata, formerly known as Calcutta.
The hospital denied that safety regulations were violated.
Six hospital directors have been charged with culpable homicide, and were ordered by a court yesterday to be held in custody for 10 days while authorities determined the cause of the fire.
The tragedy seems to have been compounded by the slow response of the fire brigade and hospital staff's unwillingness to admit that the fire had gotten out of control.
Firefighters took more than an hour to arrive, then had trouble bringing fire trucks close to the seven-storey hospital building because of the neighbourhood's narrow streets.
Further, residents said hospital guards initially blocked them from trying to enter the building to help rescue patients.
Basudam Kayal, 25, who works as an office assistant and lives near the hospital, said his friends and he tried to break down the hospital's front door after watching a child smash a window and fall to his death from the third floor.
"For as long as I live, I will hear his voice in my head, 'Uncle, save me!' I could not do anything. Even if I had a bed sheet, we could have broken his fall."
Shambhu Manna, 23, who is unemployed, said he and his friends used bamboo scaffolding from a nearby construction site to create a rickety staircase outside that they used to attempt to rescue patients.
"The guards would not let us in and locked us out even when we pointed to the fumes coming out from the side of the building. They said, 'it's a minor fire, we are taking care of it'."
Ramapoda Purokaist, 25, an office assistant with an export-exchange company, said he wished the staff had not fled the scene.
"If they were around, at least we would have known where the exits were, or where the firefighting equipment was stored."
Instead, Mr Purokaist and his friends felt their way through the dark, often stumbling on groups of people who were lying unconscious near the staircases, before lowering them to safety through broken windows, using sheets and curtains as ropes.
Yesterday, most of those who helped with rescue efforts were being treated for minor injuries and smoke inhalation.
"It needs to enter the minds of people that fire safety is important. We should know to look for fire exits and fire equipment when we are in a building," said Mr Purokaist. "It should not be after such a disaster, but before. This has to be instilled in our minds."
sbhattacharya@thenational.ae
Results
2pm: Handicap Dh 90,000 1,800m; Winner: Majestic Thunder, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).
2.30pm: Handicap Dh120,000 1,950m; Winner: Just A Penny, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson.
3pm: Handicap Dh105,000 1,600m; Winner: Native Appeal, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
3.30pm: Jebel Ali Classic Conditions Dh300,000 1,400m; Winner: Thegreatcollection, Adrie de Vries, Doug Watson.
4pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,600m; Winner: Oktalgano, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
4.30pm: Conditions Dh250,000 1,400m; Winner: Madame Ellingtina, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
5pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,600m; Winner: Mystery Land, Fabrice Veron, Helal Al Alawi.
5.30pm: Handicap Dh85,000 1,000m; Winner: Shanaghai City, Jesus Rosales, Rashed Bouresly.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
FIGHT CARD
1. Featherweight 66kg
Ben Lucas (AUS) v Ibrahim Kendil (EGY)
2. Lightweight 70kg
Mohammed Kareem Aljnan (SYR) v Alphonse Besala (CMR)
3. Welterweight 77kg
Marcos Costa (BRA) v Abdelhakim Wahid (MAR)
4. Lightweight 70kg
Omar Ramadan (EGY) v Abdimitalipov Atabek (KGZ)
5. Featherweight 66kg
Ahmed Al Darmaki (UAE) v Kagimu Kigga (UGA)
6. Catchweight 85kg
Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) v Iuri Fraga (BRA)
7. Featherweight 66kg
Yousef Al Husani (UAE) v Mohamed Allam (EGY)
8. Catchweight 73kg
Mostafa Radi (PAL) v Abdipatta Abdizhali (KGZ)
9. Featherweight 66kg
Jaures Dea (CMR) v Andre Pinheiro (BRA)
10. Catchweight 90kg
Tarek Suleiman (SYR) v Juscelino Ferreira (BRA)
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Specs
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Power: 659hp
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Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
Mobile phone packages comparison
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
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Power: 134bhp
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
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Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Fast%20X
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
The%20specs
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The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
The specs: 2019 Cadillac XT4
Price, base: Dh145,000
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged in-line four-cylinder engine
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 237hp @ 5,000rpm
Torque: 350Nm @ 1,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.7L / 100km
Company%C2%A0profile
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A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
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Oscars in the UAE
The 90th Academy Awards will be aired in the UAE from 3.30am on Monday, March 5 on OSN, with the ceremony starting at 5am
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
