NEW DELHI, Safar 23, 1437, December 05, 2015, SPA -- Severe floods that have hit the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu killed 18 hospital patients this week after rainwater knocked out generators and switched off ventilators, officials said Saturday, AP reported. State authorities were investigating complaints of negligence by officials at MIOT International hospital in the state capital of Chennai, which is reeling from massive floods. The 18 patients were in the intensive care unit when a power outage affected ventilators in the hospital, leading to their deaths over the past two to three days, said state Health Secretary J. Radhakrishnan. He said that floodwaters entered the room with the generators, cutting off power to the building and switching off the ventilators. More than 280 people have died due to the floods in Chennai, a city of 9.6 million, and nearby districts, including several who were killed due to electric shocks from power distribution boxes that had been submerged by floodwaters. Authorities have turned off power supplies in some areas to prevent accidental deaths. --SPA 14:18 LOCAL TIME 11:18 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w