HSA staff, soldiers in clean-up operation after tragic fire

Staff of Sultanah Aminah Hospital (HSA) were busy this morning cleaning up the mess left by the fire outbreak at the hospital's Intensive Care Unit yesterday in which six patients died.

The clean-up operation at the wards and surrounding areas was assisted by soldiers from the Malaysia 7th Infantry Brigade based at the Tebrau Camp who arrived as early as 8am.

At the compound of HSA's main building, a briefing was given by the hospital on the cleaning-up work to be done at the affected wards.

The fire at the ICU wards, located on the second floor of the five-storey building took the lives of six patients under treatment there, while another patient managed to be saved.

Johor Bahru City mayor, A. Rahim Nin who was visiting the hospital was seen listening to the briefing given by HSA officials on the fire occurred just before 9am yesterday.

Meanwhile, at Sultan Ismail Hospital (HSI), Permaisuri Johor Raja Zarith Sofiah Almarhum Sultan Idris visited HSA patients who were transferred to HSI yesterday.

State Health and Environment Conmmittee chairman, Datuk Ayub Rahmat had last night said that 48 HSA patients and three staff who were injured in the fire were placed at HSI.

The operation to put out the fire and save patients at HSA which ended at 1.30pm yesterday, involved 160 Fire and Rescue Department personnel. -- Bernama