Hospital fire kills 18 in India as 402,000 COVID cases announced

Deadly blaze breaks out in a COVID-19 ward as India becomes first country with more than 400,000 cases in one day.

A fire in a COVID-19 hospital ward in western India killed 18 patients as the country grappling with the world’s worst outbreak stepped up a vaccination drive for all adults even though some states say they do not have enough jabs. India on Saturday set yet another daily global record with 401,993 new coronavirus cases, taking its tally to more than 19.1 million. Another 3,523 people died in the past 24 hours, raising the overall fatalities to 211,853, according to the health ministry. Experts believe both figures are an undercount. The fire broke out in a COVID-19 ward on the ground floor and was extinguished within an hour, police said. The cause was being investigated.