Officials said a fire ripped through a hospital in western India on Saturday (Nov 6), killing at least 11 coronavirus patients.

The fire was the latest to erupt in India's epidemic wards.

When the fire broke out in the intensive care unit of the hospital in Ahmadnagar district, Maharashtra state, officials stated there were roughly two dozen patients.

The majority of those who died were over 60 years old.

The hospital ward had been newly built for coronavirus patients and was now a burned wreck.

Udhav Thackeray, the state chief minister of Maharashtra, has requested a formal investigation into the fire and safety issues at the hospital, which is 250 kilometers from Mumbai, the regional capital.