Muzaffarpur: A devastating fire broke out in the intensive care unit of a private hospital in the Brahmpura area of Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district early on Thursday, claiming the lives of at least five people and leaving several others injured. The blaze erupted around 3:00 a.m. at Prasad Hospital and rapidly engulfed the critical care zone, trapping patients and filling the enclosed space with thick, suffocating smoke. Emergency response teams rushed to the scene to extinguish the flames and evacuate the remaining patients to nearby medical facilities.
Muzaffarpur Municipal Commissioner Rituraj Singh confirmed the updated casualty count, stating that five fatalities have been officially verified while multiple injured individuals are currently receiving emergency treatment across various local hospitals. District Magistrate Subrat Kumar Sen reported that between 13 to 15 patients were inside the intensive care unit at the time of the incident. Prompt action by family members and rescue workers ensured that survivors were quickly transferred to alternative healthcare facilities as firefighters worked to bring the situation under control.
Preliminary assessments suggest that a short circuit in the electrical infrastructure likely sparked the fire, though a definitive conclusion will depend on a comprehensive forensic investigation. To ensure a thorough inquiry, the district administration has established a specialized five-member team tasked with probing the safety standards of the facility and establishing the exact sequence of events. Senior officials emphasized that strict accountability will be enforced if any regulatory lapses or structural negligence are uncovered.
Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary expressed deep condolences to the grieving families, describing the accident as profoundly tragic. The state government has announced an immediate ex-gratia payment of 4 lakh rupees for the next of kin of each deceased victim and instructed local administrative bodies to guarantee optimal medical care for the injured. Prominent political leaders, including Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary and former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, also issued statements of grief, promising rigorous systemic reviews to prevent such hazardous failures in medical institutions across the state.
