Three COVID-19 patients among United Hospital fire victims

Three among five people killed in a fire at city's United Hospital on Wednesday night were coronavirus patients.

The victims were on life support, the hospital authorities said in a press release on Wednesday night.

It also said one among the five dead in the fire was a woman.

The deceased include Riazul Alam, 45, Khodeza Begum, 70, Verun Anthony Paul, 74, Md. Monir Hossain, 75, and Md. Mahbub, 50.

The fire that broke out at the isolation unit of the hospital, a building situated outside of the main building, could not be tamed fast due to inclement weather, said the press release.

The fire may have originated from an AC explosion, Kamrul Islam, duty officer of fire service control room, earlier had said.

The fire broke out around 9:55pm and was extinguished around 10:25pm, said Jillur Rahman, director of fire services (operation and maintenance).

Three firefighting units had worked and recovered five bodies from the site, he added.

The hospital authorities expressed shock at the death of five people.  - Collected from "Prothom Alo"