At least 10 newborn children died after a fire broke out at the sick newborn care unit (SNCU) of Bhandara Civil Hospital close to Nagpur, Maharashtra in the early hours on January 9.
As many as seven newborn children were rescued immediately as soon as the fire broke out at around 2.00 am, The Hindustan Times cited Bhandara district’s civil surgeon Dr. Pramod Khandate as saying. Khandate added that an inquiry has been ordered into the incident.
“The fire brigade personnel have succeeded in rescuing seven newborn children but could not save 10 other babies,” Khandate said. A total of 17 newborns were at the hospital’s SNCU unit when the fire broke out.
All infants that were killed in the blaze were between a month and three-months in age. Some of them passed away as a result of the oxygen supply getting cut. However, Khandate said that the exact cause of death would be ascertained after the post-mortem of the bodies.
According to news reports, a nurse noticed the smoke coming from the neonatal section and informed hospital authorities. The fire brigade was called immediately.
Maharashtra's Health Minister Rajesh Tope said Rs 5 lakh would be paid to family members each of the deceased infants.
In a series of tweets, the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had expressed deep sorrow over the death of the newborns in the fire.
“As soon as he came to know about this incident, he (Thackeray) spoke to Health Minister Rajesh Tope and directed an immediate inquiry into the incident. The chief minister has also spoken to the Collector and the Superintendent of Police and they have also been directed to investigate,” CMO said.
“Heart-wrenching tragedy in Bhandara, Maharashtra, where we have lost precious young lives. My thoughts are with all the bereaved families. I hope the injured recover as early as possible,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a tweet.
“The unfortunate incident of fire at Bhandara District General Hospital in Maharashtra is extremely tragic. My condolences to the families of the children who lost their lives. I appeal to Maha Govt to provide every possible assistance to the families of the injured & deceased,” Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said in a tweet.
“We demand a detailed probe and those responsible should be charged with murder. If there are any more such hospitals in Maharashtra, they should undergo a fire safety audit. The government must pay ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh to kin of deceased,” news agency ANI quoted Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis as saying.