India, April 15 -- LUCKNOW After smoke was first noticed on the second floor on Monday night, a scene of chaos and panic unfolded at the Lok Bandhu Hospital, where a fire incident prompted evacuation of nearly 200 patients. Patients and their attendants ran to save their lives, and with little time to react, most of them had to abandon their belongings, including cash and essential items.

For Manju Mishra, 60, who was admitted to the emergency ward, the nightmare became real when her son, Vipin Kumar Mishra, was alerted about the fire by hospital staff. "I had to lift my mother on my shoulders and rush her outside the hospital. It took 20 minutes for the ambulance to arrive. It was a close shave - we were lucky," recalled Vipin.

Ashok K...