At least ten newborns were killed in a fire in the neonatal unit of a hospital in Jhansi, northern India, a local government official said on Saturday. Sixteen other children are in critical condition, according to the Times Now newspaper.
The fire broke out around 10:30 p.m. on Friday at the Maharani Lakshmibai University Hospital in Jhansi, in the state of Uttar Pradesh.
Video images broadcast by televisions showed charred beds and walls inside the ward and crowds of anxious families waiting outside the facility. The nursing staff placed IVs on the rescued newborns, all only a few days old, lying side by side on another hospital bed.
“Ten children have unfortunately died,” said the state’s number two, Brajesh Pathak. Seven bodies out of the ten have so far been identified, he added. 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 found, strict action will be taken against those responsible and no one will be spared.”
Court-circuit en cause
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 allowed the fire to spread quickly and suddenly, they said.
These deaths are “heartbreaking”, declared Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the social network X (formerly Twitter). “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.
The Prime Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, announced that the affected families will receive compensation of 500,000 rupees (5,255 francs) and that all district officials had “received orders to be on standby war to carry out relief and rescue operations.
Fires are common in India due to poor construction practices, overcrowding and lack of compliance with safety regulations. At the end of May, six newborns died in a fire that ravaged a children’s hospital in New Delhi.
This article was automatically published. Sources: ats / afp
