New Delhi: At least 16 coronavirus patients and two nurses died after a fire broke out at a hospital in Gujarat’s Bharuch in the early hours on Saturday.There were around 50 other patients at the four-storeyed Welfare Hospital when the fire broke out in the COVID-19 ward at 1 am. Of these, 27 people were in the ICU. The surviving patients have been shifted to other hospitals. They were rescued by locals and firefighters, an official told news agency PTI.“As per information at 6:30 am, the death toll in the tragedy stood at 18. Immediately after the fire, we had confirmation of 12 deaths,” a police official said.The 12 patients in the COVID-19 ward died due to the fire and resultant smoke, Bharuch SP Rajendrasinh Chudasama said. It is not clear if the remaining six also died in the Welfare hospital or while being shifted to other hospitals.The COVID-19 designated hospital is situated on the Bharuch-Jambusar highway, around 190 km from the state capital Ahmedabad and is being run by a trust.The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, the official said.The fire was controlled within an hour and around 50 patients were rescued by locals as well as firefighters, a fire official said. They were shifted to nearby hospitals, he added.“The fire was so intense that the ICU ward was almost burnt to the ground. All the equipment inside, including the ventilators and the fridge used to store the medicines and also the beds, were turned to ashes,” an eyewitness said.Some patients were charred beyond recognition and relatives found it difficult to identify their bodies.Relatives of the patients who perished in the blaze gathered outside the hospital in the wee hours on Saturday, blaming the facility’s administration for the tragedy. There were chaotic scenes outside the Welfare Hospital as authorities tried to calm the agitated kin of the victims.According to the Indian Express, Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani has appointed additional chief secretary (labour and employment) Vipul Mittra and commissioner (municipalities) Rajkumar Beniwal to conduct an inquiry. A judicial probe would also be initiated.The state government has also announced ex-gratia aid of Rs 4 lakh to the next of kin of each victim.(With PTI inputs)