88 killed as blaze sweeps through Calcutta hospital

At least 88 people died today when fire ravaged a hospital in Calcutta.

Most of the victims were patients who were unable to move from their beds as the smoke and flames raced through the AMRI Hospital in the eastern Indian city. Police accused staff of abandoning the patients and arrested six officials on charges of culpable homicide.

Senior police official Danayati Sen said 73 bodies were pulled out of the complex and an additional 15 people succumbed to their injuries.

The fire started in the basement, where inflammable chemicals and medical waste were stored, and quickly spread to upper floors of the six-storey building. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said the fire was an "unforgivable crime" and the hospital's licence has been cancelled. He promised the "harshest punishment" for those found to be responsible.

Firefighters had to smash windows and used rope and hydraulic ladders to rescue people trapped on the first and second floors. TV images showed several being carried out on stretchers and wheelchairs to a nearby hospital, while patients' bodies wrapped in white sheets were brought out by rescue workers.

Fire engines fought the blaze for five hours before bringing it under control. Many of the victims died from smoke inhalation. Relatives gathered on the street outside the hospital hoping for news. One, Sudipta Nundy, said his brother-in-law Amitabha Das was being treated at the hospital but died by the time rescuers arrived at his smoke-filled ward. "He would have survived if the hospital authorities had allowed outsiders in early to evacuate the patients," he said.