On March 16, a major fire broke out in the intensive care unit (ICU) of SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, Odisha, eastern India. According to official sources, at least 10 patients died as a result.

According to information published, among others, in The Times of India, seven people died in the intensive care unit, and three more died during evacuation and transfer to other wards during the rescue operation. There were approximately 23 patients in the unit at the time of the fire.

An electrical short circuit is suspected to be the cause of the fire. Odisha State Governor Mohan Charan Majhi, who visited the scene, reported that patients were being moved to safer areas while firefighters and medical personnel battled the blaze. Eleven hospital staff members were injured in the incident, mostly with burns, while rescuing patients. They received the necessary medical attention.

The state's chief minister ordered a judicial inquiry into the circumstances of the fire and promised that those responsible would be held strictly accountable.