Breakdown: Critically ill patients on ventilators are evacuated from downtown Los Angeles hospital after a power outage plunged the entire intensive care unit and emergency rooms into darkness
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Critically ill patients are evacuated from a downtown Los Angeles hospital after a sudden power outage plunged the facility into darkness as reports claimed backup generators also went out .
The power outage at White Memorial Hospital in Los Angeles occurred just before 1 a.m. Tuesday morning, affecting the special care center, including intensive care and emergency rooms.
Emergency service workers rushed to evacuate patients from the facility, with those on ventilators identified as top priorities requiring immediate relocation.
Some 11 patients have been identified as needing to be moved first, with many requiring assisted breathing devices.
Crews were forced to carry patients up the stairs after the power went out, which also meant elevators weren’t working. Electricity in other buildings on the White Memorial campus was working.
Patients at White Memorial Hospital (pictured) in Los Angeles were left in the dark just before 1am on Tuesday morning
About 20 ambulances were on the way to the scene to help remove 60 geriatric patients from the hospital and to other facilities.
There were around 240 patients admitted to the hospital at the time of the power outage.
The Los Angeles Fire Department said it was assisting with the evacuation, working with hospital staff to identify priority patients. About 200 firefighters were on their way to the hospital.
Some people would have been stuck in the elevators as the whole building was without power.
An LAFD spokesperson said: “Due to the power outage, firefighters must physically transport patients from upper floors to waiting ambulances.
The department confirmed that there was an initial focus on 11 patients.
The cause of the power outage is not yet known and whether the emergency incident was related to Tropical Storm Hilary, the torrential weather that wreaked havoc in the region on Monday.
A video posted on TikTok appeared to show the interior of the hospital after it was plunged into darkness.
About 20 ambulances are on their way to the scene to help remove 60 geriatric patients from the hospital (file image of a California ambulance)
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