Hospitals in India have launched desperate appeals for oxygen as the country's healthcare system buckles under a new wave of infections, while 13 Covid-19 patients were also killed in a fire.
The surge, blamed on a new virus variant and recent "super spreader" public events, has seen 330,000 new infections - a new record - and 2,000 deaths in the past 24 hours.
The latest in a string of fires at hospitals broke out on the outskirts of Mumbai early this morning, leaving 13 Covid-19 patients dead, according to local officials.
India's healthcare system has long been underfunded and the new Covid-19 outbreak has caused critical shortages in oxygen, drugs and hospital beds, sparking desperate pleas for help.