Nashik hospital tragedy: Police file FIR

Mumbai, Apr 22: Police registered an FIR against unidentified persons on Thursday in connection with the death of 22 COVID-19 patients at a hospital in Nashik following the disruption of oxygen supply, an official said.

The incident occurred on Wednesday afternoon when the oxygen supply to patients stopped suddenly because of a malfunction in the main storage at Dr Zakir Hussain Hospital, run by the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC).

An FIR was registered in the early hours of Thursday at the Bhadrakali police station in Maharashtra's Nashik city against unidentified persons under Indian Penal Code Section 304-A (causing death by negligence), the official said.

A total of 157 patients were undergoing treatment in the 150-bed COVID-19 hospital when the incident occurred, the NMC had said.

The deceased, including 10 women, were in the age group of 33 to 74 years, it said.

The disruption of medical oxygen supply was caused by leakage from a storage plant, officials earlier said.

They said the incident occurred when oxygen was being filled in one of the tanks from a tanker, which disturbed the supply to the patients who were on ventilators as well as to those dependent on oxygen for breathing.

The Maharashtra government on Wednesday announced a probe into the incident by a seven-member committee and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh would be provided to the families of each victim.