Grief and anger in India after a tragic fire swept through a Calcutta hospital -- killing some 89 people.

Firemen and volunteers say they tried their best to rescue the patients, telling Al Jazeera, by the time they got there, it was too late.

“Firemen smashed through glass to get to the patients throughout the building including the intensive care unit. It was all dark inside the hospital and it was full with smoke, we couldn’t see anything, all doors are closed. We had to break the doors in order to rescue the patients but by that time we got to them, they were unconscious.”

But observers are outraged at what some are calling negligence on the part of hospital staff. People from a nearby slum area reportedly noticed fire and smoke at the medical building. MSNBC reports they rushed to the scene to alert officers.

“...but security guards kept them back, saying there was a small fire in the kitchen and there was nothing to worry about.”

Six workers have reportedly been charged with culpable homicide. According to NDTV, flammable materials were allegedly stored in the basement, where the fire is said to have begun.

An anchor for India’s NewsX doesn’t try to hide her anger.

“No safety measures in place by the hospital authorities, and who suffers? You. Illegal use of space and who suffers? You. Your safety compromised once again, and the assurances are pouring in from expected quarters as usual. This trip doesn’t change. But remember this is no longer a Calcutta story. It’s India’s story.”

Some families were further enraged by the way the victims’ bodies were treated. A victim’s relative expressed his horror to the Times of India.

“‘The bodies recovered from the site were kept in a heap. I and my brother had to find out [my sister-in-law] from the heap. How can they be so inhuman to treat the bodies as lifeless objects?’”

In a statement, hospital says it will give families 500,000 rupees (equivalent to $9500) to affected families. And according to NDTV, the hospital’s license has been cancelled.