ICU patient dies during emergency evacuation after fire at KMCH

A patient has died during emergency evacuation following a fire at Khulna Medical College Hospital (KMCH), where multiple ICU patients were shifted amid panic and heavy smoke.

The fire broke out around 5:30am in a storeroom beside the old ICU unit on the third floor of the hospital’s four-storey building on Wednesday (May 20).

The blaze spread quickly, prompting a large-scale evacuation of critically ill patients.

Hospital authorities said 15 patients from ICU-1 were moved to safer locations during the emergency. One patient died during the evacuation process. Officials also said another patient had died earlier around 5:00am before the fire started.

The incident triggered panic inside the hospital as explosions and thick smoke spread through the building. Patients, attendants and staff rushed outside, while ICU patients were shifted under urgent conditions.

At least five people, including two nurses and a Fire Service member, were injured during the evacuation. The injured include staff member Saidur Rahman (50), senior nurses Nowrin, Dipali and Sharmin, and Fire Service personnel Touhid.

ICU In-charge Dr. Dilip Kumar said the fire likely originated from a short circuit in a room near the old ICU, where unused equipment and cloths were stored. He said several oxygen cylinders and an old air-conditioning unit exploded, worsening the situation and filling the area with dense smoke.

Fire Service officials said 10 units battled the blaze for nearly an hour, facing initial difficulty as several gates were locked and had to be forced open. About 4–5 people were rescued from balconies during the operation.

Authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the fire.