A 42-year-old man died hours after a ceiling fan fell on him during treatment in the emergency department of Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) Hospital in Northeast Delhi, India.
The hospital denied that the incident caused the patient’s death, attributing it instead to underlying illnesses, even as the case raised concerns over safety and maintenance standards. Police officers said that the incident took place around 9:30 pm in Emergency Ward 27, where the deceased, identified as Mohammad Akbar, was being treated.
Eyewitnesses stated that a ceiling fan became detached without warning and fell directly onto Akbar’s bed.
A nursing officer attending to Akbar at the time was also injured in the incident, police added.
The officer noted that the accident caused panic inside the ward, prompting hospital staff to rush in and provide medical assistance to both the patient and the injured nursing officer.
Hospital sources stated that Akbar had been admitted to GTB Hospital on July 18 after being brought in by his brother and was undergoing treatment for hypertension, meningoencephalitis and aspiration pneumonia.
According to the hospital’s death certificate, Akbar died at approximately 12:16 am, less than three hours after the fan fell, with underlying illnesses listed as the cause of death.
A hospital official confirmed that the ceiling fan fell around 9:30 pm but denied that it led to the patient’s death or caused any serious injury, explaining that Akbar had already been admitted with severe respiratory complications and that his death resulted from his existing medical condition.
