LUCKNOW, April 22 -- Mechanical faults have been ruled out as the cause of the recent fire at Lok Bandhu Hospital, with evidence pointing towards human error, according to a member of the district-level investigation team. Supporting the electrical safety department's preliminary findings that the fire was likely started by a burning cigarette butt, the probe team are in the process of finalising the report before submitting it to the DM by April 25.

Dr AP Singh, additional chief medical officer and part of the team probing the incident, said the fire originated in a space behind the hospital washrooms, an area with no electrical wiring. "It is likely that somebody who was in the area at that time dropped a match or a cigarette butt and ...