Damaged Walls, Ceilings: Jharkhand Hospital Where Roof Collapse Killed 3

The three patients who died at Jamshedpur's Mahatma Gandhi Memorial hospital fire yesterday, were abandoned by their families. These abandoned patients were kept in a dilapidated balcony of the hospital. 

All three who died were unable to walk, said one of the patients who shared the balcony. "We did everything for them, giving them a bath and getting their food," he added. 

Altogether there were 15 such patients. The 12 who could walk, were evacuated in time, he added. 

Asked why they were kept at the balcony, he said, "There was a cylinder blast earlier and we were removed from here. Then they repaired the place and the contractor gave his clearance and they again put us back here... Who cares about us? We are abandoned by our families. Only the authorities can answer this".

The Mahatma Gandhi Memorial hospital, the biggest in the area, is about 55 years old and in a dilapidated condition. On Saturday, a portion of the second-floor corridor of the medicine ward collapsed, bringing rubble down on the heads of patients on the lower floors and triggering massive chaos. 

"We were sitting there and suddenly we heard a crack and then saw a huge space open up. Within seconds, the floor started collapsing and spread. The whole corridor fell in. Four of our friends who were sitting there were just gone. The crack stopped at the foot of my bed," said one of the patients, relieving the horror.

The locals and opposition leaders have accused the administration of negligence, alleging that warnings about the deteriorating condition of the building were ignored.

Former Chief Minister Raghubar Das said, "Innocent lives have been lost due to government negligence. It's time for the administration to wake up and ensure that such tragedies are not repeated". Jharkhand BJP President Babulal Marandi has demanded a high-level inquiry and strict action against those responsible. 

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has promised a long-term action plan to prevent similar accidents.