Kolkata, April 17: In another case of mistaken identity on parts of authorities in West Bengal, a patient was declared "dead" by the hospital in Kolkata, though he was live. After he experienced chest pain on April 11, Sabir Molla was admitted to the Chittaranjan National Medical College Hospital. On April 15, Molla's family received a call from the hospital informing them about his "death". A death certificate was also issued. West Bengal: Declared 'Dead', COVID-19 Patient Recovers Days After Family Cremates Another Man's Body in North 24 Parganas District.

A twist in the tragic story arrived when Molla's family visited the hospital on April 16 to receive his body. While they were being told that his body couldn't be handed over to them because Molla had tested positive for coronavirus, the patient saw one of his relatives from a bathroom of one of the hospital buildings and called him, according to a TOI report. It was then Molla's family came to know that he was not dead.

Subsequently, the hospital authorities were informed and Molla was released from the hospital later in the morning. The hospital launched an inquiry into the incident. Earlier, a 75-year-old COVID-19 patient, iWedentified as Shibdas Banerjee, was declared "dead" by mistake by hospital authorities in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district.

Meanwhile, the COVID-19 tally in West Bengal mounted to 6,43,795 on Friday after the highest single-day spike of 6,910 new cases were reported in the state. The death toll also surged to 10,506 with 26 patients succumbing to the virus in the state yesterday.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 17, 2021 02:36 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).