Three held in connection with private hospital fire in Muzaffarpur

Charred remains after a massive fire broke out at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Prasad Hospital, claiming at least four lives and several more casualties in Muzaffarpur on June 4, 2026. Fire and rescue operations are underway. | Photo credit: ANI

Three people have been arrested in connection with the June 4 fire at a private hospital in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district that led to the death of six ICU patients, a police officer said on Friday (June 5, 2026).

According to Mohibullah Ansari, Superintendent of Police (City), Muzaffarpur, the arrested persons are the employees of Prasad Hospital in Brahmapura locality where smoke filled the fifth floor of the ICU and some patients suffocated to death as evacuation did not start until the fire brigade arrived.

“According to the FIR filed by the fire officer of Muzaffarpur, we have arrested Pankaj, the doctor who was in charge of the ICU, besides Ram Kumar and Ajit Kumar, the administrator and the maintenance manager,” Mr. Ansari said.

He added: “The above-mentioned persons were found to be primarily responsible for the incident. However, further arrests may follow upon further investigation. We are investigating whether the hospital building was built in accordance with the rules and whether fire safety standards were followed”.

“If the hospital is found deficient in the above points, we may take action against the owner as well,” the official said.

In total, six patients admitted to the ICU died in the incident, including two women. Four of the deceased were local residents while the remaining two hailed from the adjoining districts of Sitamarhi and Sheohar.

Officials blamed the deaths squarely on on-duty employees, saying there were no burns deaths and all fatalities were the result of suffocation.

Hospital authorities have so far remained tight-lipped about the incident, although officials involved in the rescue operation, which saved the lives of more than 20 patients, and several nurses claimed that as smoke filled the ICU, “duty workers fled”.

Published – 05 Jun 2026 19:25 IST