At least 10 babies were killed in a fire, attributed to an electrical fault, in the neonatal unit of a hospital in Jhansi, in northern India, local authorities announced on Saturday.
The fire broke out at around 10:30 p.m. Friday at the Maharani Lakshmibai Teaching Hospital in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh state, about 450 km south of the capital, New Delhi.
Video footage broadcast by television channels showed charred beds and walls inside the ward, and crowds of distressed families waiting outside the facility. The nursing staff placed IVs on the rescued babies, all only a few days old, lying side by side on another hospital bed.
Ten children have unfortunately died, the state’s number two, Brajesh Pathak, told journalists who asked him about the fire. Seven bodies out of the ten have so far been identified, he said.
According to the Indian newspaper Times Now16 other newborns are in critical condition. NDTV reported that 54 children were in the neonatal intensive care unit when the fire broke out.
According to Mr Pathak, a safety audit of the hospital was carried out in February, followed by a fire drill three months later.
The cause of the fire will be investigated, he added. If any violations are noted, strict action will be taken against those responsible and no one will be spared.
According to district official Avinash Kumar, the fire was caused by an electrical short circuit in the unit. Local media cited other officials as saying the fire started in a machine used to enrich the unit’s atmospheric oxygen level. The high concentration of combustible gas would have allowed the fire to spread quickly and suddenly, they said.
These deaths are heartbreaking, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on X. My deepest condolences to those who lost their innocent children in this matter. I pray to God to give them the strength to bear this immense loss, he added.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced that affected families would receive compensation of 500,000 rupees (C$8,338) and that all district officials had been ordered to be on standby. war to carry out relief and rescue operations.
I pray to Lord Shri Ram to bring salvation to the departed souls and speedy recovery to the injured, he wrote on X, referring to Ram, one of the most important Hindu gods, also called Rama.
Fires are common in India due to poor construction practices, overcrowding and lack of compliance with safety regulations. At the end of May, six babies were killed in a fire that ravaged a children’s hospital in New Delhi.
