Two patients die in Limpopo hospital Covid-19 ward fire

Two Covid-19 patients died on Tuesday when a fire broke out at the FH Odendaal Hospital in Limpopo.

This was confirmed by Limpopo MEC for health Phoophi Ramathoba.

The blaze started in a Covid-19 ward which Ramathoba said was completely gutted by the fire.

“Unfortunately, even though the nurses tried to evacuate all the patients there are two patients who died,” Ramathoba said.

“One was a critically ill patient who was admitted already semi-conscious. The patient arrived late probably last night. Another patient was also an inmate who was also very very ill, so it is quite sad.”

Ramathoba commended the nurses who evacuated the patients while also fighting the fire before the fire brigade arrived.

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Ramathoba did not say how the patients died, whether from the fire directly or due to smoke inhalation.

“We could say smoke inhalation might have worsened the situation where you find someone critically ill and then they inhale smoke. Mind you this is a Covid patient already in respiratory distress and is caught in the fire so both of these factors could have contributed.”

She said that there was a lot of information to be processed from different people on what might have caused the fire.

Patients were being transported to nearby hospitals.