NEW DELHI, Nov 27: The Supreme Court has said that the Gujarat Government must be held responsible for the Rajkot covid hospital fire mishap that claimed the lives of six coronavirus patients in the wee hours of Friday.

"Those who are responsible must be brought to book, the Supreme Court said, taking suo motu cognizance of the incident, News18 reported. The court also directed the Centre and the Gujarat Government to file a report on the matter by December 1, according to 'Live Law'. "It can't just be an inquiry and report."

“These incidents are repeated and we notice that no complete steps being taken by states nor is there any mechanism to abrogate the situation,” a bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan, R Subhash Reddy and MR Shahit said.

The fire broke out in the ICU section of Uday Shivanand Hospital in Mavdi area of Rajkot, a designated covid-19 hospital, in the early hours of Friday. Thirty coronavirus patients were rescued by firemen. They have been shifted to another covid hospital nearby. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has ordered an inquiry.

In August last, eight covid patients were killed in a similar mishap in a four-storey private hospital in Ahmedabad.

The total coronavirus cases has reached 93,09,787 and the death toll 1,35,715. The epidemic claimed 492 lives in the last 24 hours.