NEW DELHI 

At least 11 patients admitted to a COVID-19 ward in India died after a fire broke out in a government hospital in the western state of Maharashtra on Saturday, a senior official said.

The patients were admitted to the intensive care unit of the hospital in the city of Ahmednagar, according to Rajendra Bhosale, a top government official.

Bhosale told Anadolu Agency that 11 of the 17 patients present in the hospital died when the fire broke out. "The remaining patients were shifted to another hospital," added Bhosale.

The blaze has been extinguished, and preliminary investigation revealed that it could be due to a short circuit, said the official.

The state's Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray ordered an inquiry into the incident.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was anguished by the loss of lives due to the fire. "Condolences to the bereaved families," he said on Twitter.