Jamshedpur: The quiet Saturday evening at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial (MGM) Medical College and Hospital that turned into a scene of horror when a dilapidated balcony outside the third-floor Medicine Department collapsed, has claimed lives of three patients and left one woman critically injured.
The incident occurred around 6:30 PM, when five people — mostly attendants and patients — were resting in the corridor adjacent to the medicine ward. Without warning, the ageing balcony structure gave way with a deafening crash. The impact sent chunks of concrete and metal crashing down, burying the victims under the debris and triggering panic throughout the hospital.
Witnesses described a scene of chaos and confusion. Bystanders and hospital visitors rushed to help, attempting to pull victims from the rubble with bare hands. However, emergency responders, including police and fire personnel, reportedly arrived nearly 30 minutes later, by which time locals had already initiated rescue efforts.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) was later deployed and continued search and rescue operations late into the night and early Sunday morning.
The collapse claimed the lives of three individuals: David Johnson (73), Lucas Simon Tirkey (61), a resident of Sakchi and Shrichand Tanti (65), from Seraikela
Two others, Renuka Devi and Sunil Kumar, were pulled out alive. Renuka Devi remains in critical condition, undergoing treatment in the hospital’s emergency ward.
The Jharkhand government has announced an ex-gratia payment of ₹5 lakh each to the families of the deceased and ₹50,000 to the injured.
The tragic event has sparked widespread outrage and demands for accountability. State Health Minister Dr. Irfan Ansari rushed to the hospital late Saturday night. After visiting the site of the collapse and speaking with the families of the victims, he assured strict action against those found guilty of negligence.
“This is an unacceptable failure. We will hold the responsible officials accountable,” Ansari said. He also announced the formation of a three-member inquiry committee to probe the incident.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren expressed his condolences and said in a statement, “This tragedy is deeply saddening. Concrete steps must be taken immediately to prevent such horrific incidents from recurring.”
For many, however, the assurances have come too late. Hospital staff, local residents, and family members of patients alleged that repeated warnings about the building’s deteriorating condition had been ignored by the hospital administration and the state’s building construction department.
“Cracks had been visible on the balcony for months. We raised concerns, but nothing was done. Now innocent lives are lost,” said Ravi Soren, a relative of a patient in the medicine ward.
The hospital, one of the largest in the Kolhan region, has been struggling with poor infrastructure for years. Leaking roofs, falling plaster, broken staircases, and outdated electrical wiring are common complaints from patients and staff.
The incident has quickly escalated into a political flashpoint. Former Chief Minister Raghubar Das blamed the tragedy on what he called “criminal negligence” by the current government.
“The MGM Hospital collapse is a glaring example of this administration’s apathy. How many more lives need to be lost before the government wakes up?” he asked in a press statement.
BJP State President Babulal Marandi echoed the sentiment, calling for a high-level judicial inquiry. “We demand accountability. This isn’t just an accident — it’s a result of gross mismanagement,” he said.
