NEW DELHI (AP) — Twenty-two COVID-19 patients on ventilators died in a hospital in western India on Wednesday when their oxygen supply was interrupted by a leak in a supply line, officials said.
Suraj Mandhar, the district collector, said the oxygen supply has since been resumed to other patients.
Fire officer Sanjay Bairagi said the leakage was plugged by the fire service within 15 minutes, but there was supply disruption in the Zakir Hussain Hospital in Nashik, a city in Maharashtra state that is the worst-hit by the latest spike in coronavirus cases in the country.
Television images showed white fumes spreading in the hospital area, causing panic.
More than 170 patients were on oxygen in the hospital, according to local media.
Surinder Sonone, a police officer, said the leak occurred in a pipe connecting the oxygen supply to the main tank in the hospital complex.
Five of the 140 COVID-19 patients were shifted to another hospital, he said.
The state government ordered an investigation of the leak, state Health Minister Rajesh Tope said.
India has reported a new record 295,041 coronavirus cases, as the daily death toll crossed 2,000 for the first time.
Even with hospitals struggling, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday advised state governments against imposing a harsh lockdown in favor of micro-containment zones as he sought to avoid another economic slump.
The surge in India has exacerbated the slowdown in global vaccination campaigns. India is a major vaccine producer but was forced it to delay deliveries of shots to focus on its domestic demand. So far, India has administered over 130 million doses of vaccines in a nation of nearly 1.4 billion since mid-January.
Overall, India has reported more than 15.6 million confirmed cases, the second highest behind the United States. The number of deaths stood at 182,553.
A woman cries after her husband died of a leakage in the oxygen plant of a hospital in Nashik, in the Indian state of Maharashtra, Wednesday, April 21, 2021. A local administrator in western India says 22 patients have died in a hospital when their oxygen supply was interrupted by a leakage in a supply tank. The official says the oxygen supply has since been resumed to other patients. (AP Photo) 
Hospital staff checks oxygen cylinders after a leakage in a oxygen plant in Nashik, in the Indian state of Maharashtra, Wednesday, April 21, 2021. A local administrator in western India says 22 patients have died in a hospital when their oxygen supply was interrupted by a leakage in a supply tank. The official says the oxygen supply has since been resumed to other patients. (AP Photo) 
An oxygen tanker leaks at hospital premises where COVID-19 patients died due to lack of oxygen in Nashik, India April 21, 2021 in this still image taken from video. ANI via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. INDIA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN INDIA. Digital: NO USE INDIA. For Reuters customers only 
An oxygen tanker leaks at hospital premises where COVID-19 patients died due to lack of oxygen in Nashik, India April 21, 2021 in this still image taken from video. ANI via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. INDIA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN INDIA. Digital: NO USE INDIA. For Reuters customers only 
Hospital staff fix the leakage in their oxygen plant in Nashik, in the Indian state of Maharashtra, Wednesday, April 21, 2021. A local administrator in western India says 22 patients have died in a hospital when their oxygen supply was interrupted by a leakage in a supply tank. The official says the oxygen supply has since been resumed to other patients. (AP Photo) 
Hospital staff fix a leakage in their oxygen plant in Nashik, in the Indian state of Maharashtra, Wednesday, April 21, 2021. A local administrator in western India says 22 patients have died in a hospital when their oxygen supply was interrupted by a leakage in a supply tank. The official says the oxygen supply has since been resumed to other patients. (AP Photo) 
Patients use oxygen cylinders in hospital after a leakage in the oxygen plant in Nashik, in the Indian state of Maharashtra, Wednesday, April 21, 2021. A local administrator in western India says 22 patients have died in a hospital when their oxygen supply was interrupted by a leakage in a supply tank. The official says the oxygen supply has since been resumed to other patients. (AP Photo)