Ten die in fire at Indian COVID hospital

Ten people have died after a fire that broke out in a shopping centre reached a hospital treating COVID-19 patients in India's financial capital Mumbai.

The fire broke out after midnight on Thursday inside the shopping centre in the Bhandup area of Mumbai, a municipal spokesman said.

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray said 68 patients had been evacuated from the Sunrise Hospital, which is on the centre's upper floors, and shifted to other hospitals.

The fire brigade's search and rescue operation was continuing.

The cause of the fire was being investigated. Preliminary reports indicated it began on the first floor of the three-storey Dreams Mall and quickly spread to the upper floors.

Deaths in fires are common in India and are often due to poor safety measures and a lack of fire escapes. The fires are often caused by substandard or ageing electrical equipment.

The hospital administration said it had all the required building and fire permits. The facility was set up last year as part of efforts to cater to rising numbers of COVID-19 patients in the city.

Mumbai was the worst-hit city in the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in India. In recent weeks it has seen a renewed surge and reported 5504 new infections on Thursday.