LUCKNOW, April 16 -- In all, 60 firemen from the Lucknow fire department fought for five hours against heavy smoke to rescue 200 patients from the burning Lok Bandhu Hospital on Monday night, the department claimed on Tuesday.

"It took five hours for our 60 people, including officers, to rescue nearly 200 people and douse the flames," said Mangesh Kumar, chief fire officer (CFO), Lucknow. "The fire which started around 9 pm was completely controlled around 2:30 am," he added.

"The entire building was filled with smoke and a massive fire was lapping the second floor, where hundreds of patients and their attendants were trapped in the ICU and other wards. They were pleading for help and some were trying to jump out from the windows. Score...