Bhubaneswar, March 17 -- At least 10 patients died after a fire broke out in the Trauma Care Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Cuttack's SCB Medical College and Hospital, the biggest state government healthcare facility, early on Monday, in one of the deadliest hospital fire incidents in Odisha in recent years. The fire, believed to have been triggered by an electrical short circuit, started at around 2:59 a.m. on the first floor of the trauma care building, where critically ill patients were undergoing treatment, many on ventilator and oxygen support. Condoling the deaths, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced ex-gratia of Rs.2 lakh from the PM Relief Fund for the families of each of the deceased and Rs.50,000 for the injured. President Droupadi Murmu expressed deep distress over the incident and offered condolences to the families of the victims while vice-president CP Radhakrishnan expressed sadness over the tragedy and extended his sympathies to the grieving families. Chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi, who visited the hospital after the mishap, said 23 patients were admitted to the ICU when the fire started. "Seven of them died inside the ward before they could be evacuated, while three others succumbed later during treatment after inhaling smoke," he said. Five patients and two hospital workers remain under medical observation, authorities said. Eleven hospital staff members were injured while trying to evacuate patients from the smoke-filled ward. Majhi announced a judicial probe into the tragedy. He also declared an ex-gratia payment of Rs.25 lakh from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund for the next of kin of each deceased patient. "A total of 23 patients were admitted to the ICU. Seven of them died inside the ward before rescue operations could reach them, while three others died later during treatment," Majhi said after reviewing the situation at the hospital. Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik also expressed grief over the incident. . The hospital has an in-house fire unit that responded immediately after the blaze was detected. Firefighters from the city fire station also rushed to the scene, deploying at least three fire tenders and more than 30 personnel to contain the flames. Officials said it took a couple of hours to bring the fire under control. Rescue efforts were complicated by thick smoke inside the ICU and the fragile condition of the patients, many of whom were dependent on advanced life-support systems. "As the patients were on ventilators and other life-support equipment, removing them quickly and shifting them to another location was extremely difficult," said a senior professor at the medical college who declined to be named. "Once smoke filled the ICU, the patients had very little chance of survival." The tragedy triggered scenes of grief outside the hospital as family members gathered to search for information about their loved ones. Among those killed was 69-year-old Madhusudan Dalei from Balasore district, who had been admitted to the ICU after suffering serious injuries in a road accident. His son Amitabh Dalai said his father had been recovering well and doctors had told the family he might be discharged within a few days. "My father had improved significantly and was expected to leave the ICU soon," Dalai said. "At about 3:30 a.m., we received a call saying he had been shifted due to a fire. But when we reached the hospital, we were told he had died."...