At least 10 people have died after a fire broke out at a hospital trauma unit in eastern India on Monday (16 March). The victims, who were all patients, were being moved to safer areas away from the blaze when they died, officials said.  

The fire, thought to have been triggered by an electrical short circuit, started in SCB Medical College and Hospital in the city of Cuttack at around 02:30 local time on Monday, (21:00 GMT Sunday). 

Chief Minister of Odisha, Mohan Charan Majhi, told reporters that at least 23 patients were receiving treatment on the first floor intensive care ward at the time of the blaze. 

“Seven people died in the fire. They were all moved, after which three more died,” he said. 

"Medical staff and security personnel risked their lives in rescuing the patients; during this, they too sustained injuries, and they too are under treatment," he added. 

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There have been several reported hospital fires linked to electrical faults in India over recent years. 

In October 2025, six patients were killed after a fire started in an intensive care unit in the western Indian city of Jaipur. A short circuit was the suspected cause of the blaze.

Earlier in November 2024, 10 newborn babies died in a fire at a neonatal ward in the northern India city of Jhansi. Again, an electrical fault was blamed for triggering the fire.

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