Two women patients died of asphyxiation after a fire broke out in an intensive care (ICU) unit of the Kilpauk Medical College here early today.
The fire was suspected to have emerged from an air-condition unit of the ICU in the ground floor, where Krishna Bai (72) and Tamil Selvi (45) were admitted for treatment.
Patients in other ICU units of the two storied building were shifted to different wards, medical colleges sources said.
Tamil Nadu minister G Senthamizhan visited the medical college immediately after hearing the news, police said.