The identities of five out of six people who died in a stampede while descending stairs in panic following a fire at Mymensingh Medical College (MMCH) Hospital have been confirmed. The sixth victim is a child whose identity is not yet known.
The identified victims are Hajera Begum (50), Shahjahan (40), Romjan (38), Jahanara (50), and Kulsuma (35).
It is reported that the fire broke out around 6 PM on Monday (September 14) in the new eight-story building of the hospital, causing smoke to spread across various floors. This created panic among patients and their relatives. Many attempted to quickly descend the stairs, leading to severe pushing, shoving, and a stampede. This resulted in the deaths of six individuals, including the unidentified child.
Upon receiving the information, ten units from five stations of the Mymensingh Fire Service reached the scene and began working to control the fire. After the fire was brought under control, additional units were withdrawn, but four units remained at the site.
Poorna Chandra Mutsuddy, Assistant Director of Mymensingh Fire Service, stated that the fire is initially believed to have originated from an electrical short circuit in the control board connected to the lift’s controller machine in the new building, due to excessive heat. However, the exact cause will be confirmed after an investigation.
He further informed that although the fire did not escalate significantly, smoke spread from the control room to various floors of the building. It was primarily the sight of this smoke that caused widespread panic among patients and relatives.
Zakiul Islam, Deputy Director of the hospital, stated that no hospital wards were damaged in the fire. The actual cause of the fire and whether there were any faults in the electrical system will be known after the investigation.