In this still image taken from video officials seen standing at the hospital premises, where oxygen leaked, in Nashik, Maharashtra, on Wednesday. Reuters

Gulf Today Report

A disruption to oxygen supply caused by a leaking tank claimed lives of at least 22 patients at a hospital in the city of Nashik in Maharashtra.

The incident in the city of Nashik, one of India's worst-hit areas, happened after the tank of gas leaked, said Rajesh Tope, the health minister of Maharashtra.

"Patients who were on ventilators at the hospital in Nashik have died," Tope said in televised remarks.

"The leakage was spotted at the tank supplying oxygen to these patients. The interrupted supply could be linked to the deaths of the patients in the hospital."

On Tuesday, hospitals in Delhi, the capital, said they had enough oxygen left for just another eight to 24 hours, while some private institutions had enough for only four or five.

The situation was so severe that some people had tried to loot an oxygen tanker, forcing authorities to beef up security, said the health minister of the neighbouring state of Haryana.

"From now, I've ordered police protection for all tankers," Anil Vij said.

Television showed images of people with empty oxygen cylinders crowding refilling facilities as they scrambled to save stricken relatives in hospital.

"We were completely blocked out of supplies yesterday but by the end of the day we received some and it is helping us today," said Charu Sachdeva, an official at the state-run Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute & Research Centre in the capital.

In the northern city of Lucknow, one man said a hospital had asked him to arrange oxygen supplies for his uncle or take him away since it had run out.