NEW DELHI, April 20 (Xinhua) -- Hospitals in the Indian capital on Tuesday evening reported their oxygen supplies will last for just a few hours, officials said.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal hence urged the federal government to replenish their oxygen supplies.
"Serious oxygen crisis persists in Delhi. I again urge centre (federal government) to urgently provide oxygen to Delhi. Some hospitals are left with just a few hours of oxygen," Kejriwal wrote on social media.
Two private hospitals in Delhi, Max Group and Gangaram, have only between six to 12 hours of oxygen left with them.
The oxygen crunch comes as Delhi struggles to contain the unprecedented daily surge of COVID-19 cases.
Kejriwal has isolated himself as a precautionary measure after his wife tested positive for the deadly COVID-19.
The federal health ministry on Tuesday morning said 259,170 new COVID-19 cases were registered in the past 24 hours across the country. The country registered 1,761 COVID-19 deaths in the last 24 hours, the biggest one-day spike.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals across India have been reporting a shortage of oxygen supply and urged the federal government to replenish the stocks.
The Indian government has decided to run special trains to ferry oxygen and import 50,000 MT of medical oxygen to augment its availability in the country. Enditem
