NAGPUR: At least 10 premature babies died after a fire broke out in the newborn baby unit of District General Hospital in Bhandara at around 2am on Saturday.
Seven other babies were rescued by the on-duty staff.
Civil surgeon Dr Pramod Khandate told TOI that three to four babies were charred to death while the rest of the casualties happened as oxygen supply was cut.
Prima facie it appears that the fire broke out following a short circuit. A doctor and a nurse were on duty at the time of the incident.
The fire brigade was deployed and the blaze was brought under control.
Dr Khandate said some babies were delivered at the hospital while others were brought from outside.
The rescued babies were shifted to the other units.
"The staff tried their best to save the babies. Top officials, including deputy director of health services Sanjay Jaiswal, district collector Sandeep Kadam and SP, visited the spot,” he said.
The exact cause of death would be ascertained after postmortem, the doctor said, adding, relatives were yet to be informed.
Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray spoke to health minister Rajesh Tope as well as district collector and superintendent of police of Bhandara district. He has also ordered a probe.