Oxygen leakage at the North Bengal Medical College and Hospital in Siliguri triggered panic among COVID patients and their families on Friday morning, officials said.

The incident happened around 9.15 am when the leakage was detected in a pipe supplying oxygen to the Critical Care Unit (CCU) at the COVID block, hospital superintendent Dr Sanjay Mallick said.

The oxygen clouded the room where the leak was detected, triggering panic among the patients who thought that fire may have broken out.

The COVID patients started running out in panic amid the chaos, while large number of people, including their family members, gathered outside the block.

Soon, the fire brigade was informed and two fire tenders were rushed from the Matigara fire station, officials said.

The situation was brought under control after stopping the oxygen supply for some time, they said.

There were seven patients in the CCU at that time. They were safely evacuated to another block, Mallick said.

No one was injured and no other sorts of damage were reported due to the incident, officials said.

The leakage was repaired and normalcy returned, they added.