Hospital fire kills at least six patients in India's Jaipur: officials

At least six patients were killed after a fire broke out in the trauma centre of the main government-run hospital in the northwestern Indian city of Jaipur, officials said on Monday.

The blaze, suspected to have been caused by a short circuit, started in the intensive care unit (ICU) of the Sawai Man Singh Hospital and quickly spread to a nearby ward at the sprawling medical complex, "releasing toxic gases", hospital official Anurag Dhakad told ANI news agency.

"Five patients are still critical," he said, while 13 others have been safely evacuated from the two wards at the largest government-run medical facility in Rajasthan, which serves as a major referral centre for patients from across the state.

Jaipur Police Commissioner Biju George Joseph said an investigation by the forensic science laboratory would determine the exact cause of the fire.

The government of Rajasthan state, where Jaipur is located, has also formed a committee to probe the causes of the fire, ANI reported.

The subjects of investigation will include the hospital management's response to the blaze, the firefighting arrangements at the hospital, and the measures in place to prevent the same situation in future, the agency said.

India has seen similar fires at hospitals in the past, some of which have been blamed on short circuits in electronic equipment.

Ten newborn babies died from burns and suffocation after a fire broke out at a neonatal intensive care unit in the northern Uttar Pradesh state in November.

Six newborn babies similarly died in a fire at a baby care hospital in New Delhi last May.