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14 patients in the intensive care unit died at the Madras Institute of Orthopaedics and Traumatology (MIOT) hospital in Chennai allegedly due to power and oxygen failure. The patients were on the ventilator and reportedly died after their oxygen cylinders failed to work.

Forty-three bodies were brought to the Roypettah government hospital in Chennai in the last 24 hours, of which 14 came from the Madras Institute of Orthopaedics and Traumatology (MIOT). Relatives of some of the deceased brought in from the MIOT alleged that negligence by the hospital authorities caused about a dozen deaths.

All 18 patients were on ventilator support when they passed away, early in the morning at MIOT hospital (Madras Institute of Orthopaedics and Traumatology).

The MIOT hospital, which is located near Guindy on the banks of the Adyar river, was already flooded due to the rains, reported a leading daily.

Durga Prasad, whose mother had been injured in the recent Mangalore train derailment, accused MIOT of not having enough backup power. His mother had been hooked to a ventilator, which collapsed soon after power snapped on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, city officials said the body count has gone up to 269 even as rescue workers managed to evacuate 2,000 people stranded across the inundated city.

Though the water was receding in many parts of the city, the misery of citizens showed little let up as power remained suspended in many areas as a precautionary measure, officials said.

Safe drinking water continued to remain a luxury for many. Milk and newspaper supplies were erratic and many citizens complained that vegetables were still being sold at high rates.