At least six dead in Mumbai hospital fire

At least six people died in a fire that engulfed a mall housing a hospital that treated coronavirus patients in Mumbai, authorities said on Friday.

More than 70 patients with Covid-19 infections in the private hospital, on the third floor of the mall, were evacuated to other centers, local civic officials said, adding that the cause of the fire was being investigated.

It was not immediately clear whether any of those killed were Covid patients.

Mumbai is struggling through the worst phase of its Covid-19 pandemic, and reported more than 5,500 cases in a day on Thursday, its highest number since the outbreak began.

Meanwhile, India’s new coronavirus infections rose 59,118 overnight, the highest daily rise since Oct. 18, health ministry data showed on Friday.

The country’s overall caseload stood at 11.85 million.

India reported 257 new deaths from coronavirus, taking the overall tally to 160,949, the data showed.