A hospital fire killed at least ten newborns in northern India, a local government official announced on Saturday.
Carried away by the flames. At least ten newborns were killed in a fire in the neonatal unit of a hospital in Jhansi, in northern India, a local government official said on Saturday.
The fire broke out at around 10:30 p.m. local time on Friday at the Maharani Lakshmibai University Hospital in Uttar Pradesh state.
“Ten children have unfortunately died,” declared the state's number two, Brajesh Pathak, to journalists present on site. “Seven bodies have been identified. Three bodies have not yet been identified,” he added.
According to the Indian newspaper Times Now, 16 other newborns were in critical condition after the tragedy. Around fifty babies were present in the unit at the time of the tragedy.
NDTV reported that 54 children were in the neonatal intensive care unit when the fire broke out.
An electrical short circuit involved?
According to Brajesh 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.”
According to a district official, Avinash Kumar, the fire was caused by an electrical short circuit within the unit, the Indian media tells us.
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 then have allowed the fire to spread quickly and suddenly, hence the extent of the human damage.
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