Malaysia hospital evacuated again, day after deadly fire

A fire again forced the evacuation of one of Malaysia's busiest hospitals on Wednesday, just a day after a blaze at the facility killed six patients.

Mohamad Rizal Buang, a senior fire official in the southern state of Johor, told AFP via SMS that Wednesday's blaze at the Sultanah Aminah Hospital in the town of Johor Bahru was "small" and quickly contained.

But it added to chaos at the facility, forcing the evacuation of patients and staff for a second straight day.

Some of the patients evacuated Wednesday were in wheelchairs or their beds, while some medical workers were still in their hospital scrubs.

All six who died in Tuesday's fire were patients in the intensive-care unit, while local reports also said three hospital staff were in critical condition from smoke inhalation and burns.

Reports have said it took around 150 firemen to put out Tuesday's blaze.

The causes of both fires remain under investigation but officials have said faulty wiring or electrical short-circuits may have been to blame.

Following Tuesday's fire, authorities ordered safety checks at health facilities nationwide.

Opened in 1982, Sultanah Aminah Hospital is one of the busiest in Malaysia based on patient load.

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