India was badly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.[1][2] Overcrowding and a shortage of oxygen were among the frequent problems caused.[1][2] On 21 April 2021, 24 COVID patients in a hospital in Nashik, Maharashtra, died after the oxygen supply to their ventilators was interrupted.[1][2] In 2021, fatal fires at hospitals in India also occurred in Mumbai and Bharuch.
Incident
In the early hours of 23 April 2021, a fire broke out in the intensive care unit of Vijay Vallabh hospital in Virar, a city which is to the north of Mumbai in the Indian state Maharashtra.[1][2][3] There were 17 patients in the ward at the time, 13 of whom were killed.[1][2][3]