India, April 17 -- LUCKNOW Though the exact cause of the fire at the Lok Bandhu Raj Narayan Combined Hospital here on Monday night is yet to be ascertained, it is revealed that the government hospital had failed to address key electrical safety shortcomings flagged in a 2023 safety audit. No corrective measures were taken despite at least three subsequent reminders, people in the know of things said.

A preliminary inquiry by the electricity safety department suggests the fire may have started in a store attached to a toilet, possibly after someone threw a burning cigarette into the cluttered room. But the possibility of an electrical short-circuit as the cause has not been ruled out.

The blaze at the hospital prompted evacuation of at l...