KOLKATA, Jan 29: An elderly covid patient died when fire broke out in a hospital in Burdwan in Bengal on Saturday. The Radharani covid ward of the Burdwan Medical College and Hospital caught fire in the wee hours of Saturday morning.

The female patient has been identified as Sandhya Roy, 60, of East Burdwan district. It was her bed that caught fire initially, other patients said. It is being investigated how the bed caught fire. The firefighters fought for an hour to bring the blaze under control. The cause of the fire has not been ascertained.

Prabir Sengupta, principal of the medical college, said he got a call in the wee hours from hospital staff that there had been a fire incident. He said he was informed that a particular bed was on fire. Hospital staff and security personnel used fire extinguishers to control the fire. Fire engine also arrived. A committee will inquire into the matter. Other patients have been moved to other wards, he said.