Maharashtra: Ten newborn babies die in Bhandara hospital fire

Ten newborn babies died after afire broke out in the Special Newborn Care Unit of a state-runhospital at Bhandara in Maharashtra in the early hours onSaturday while seven babies were rescued, doctors said.

The deceased infants were aged between one month andthree months, a doctor said.

State health minister Rajesh Tope told reporters thatat least three of the ten infants died of burn injuries whileseven others died of suffocation caused by smoke.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has expressed griefover the incident and ordered a probe, an official statementsaid.

Tope said Rs 5 lakh would be paid to family members ofeach of the deceased infant.

According to doctors, the blaze erupted in the SpecialNewborn Care Unit of the hospital around 1.30 am. Ten out ofthe 17 babies in the affected unit died while seven babieswere rescued, a senior doctor at the hospital said.

''The preliminary information available indicated thatthree infants died from burn injuries in the Bhandara districtcivil hospital while suffocation caused by smoke is the causeof the death of seven other infants,'' Tope said in a videomessage.

District civil surgeon Pramod Khandate said the firebroke out at the Bhandara district hospital around 1.30 am.

''There were 17 babies in the unit and seven were rescued,'' headded.

A nurse first noticed smoke coming out from theneonatal section of the hospital and alerted doctors and otherstaff who reached there in five minutes, he said.

Fire brigade personnel rescued seven babies from the'inbound ward' of the unit but could not save the 10 otherbabies, he said.

Khandate said the ward where newborn babies are keptrequires a continuous supply of oxygen. ''There were fireextinguishers and staff used them while trying to douse thefire. There was too much smoke,'' he added.

He said patients from the ICU ward, dialysis wing andlabour ward (a room in a hospital set aside for childbirth)were also shifted to other wards safely.

The cause of the fire in the four-storey building isyet to be ascertained but could have been the result of anelectric short circuit, he said.

Tope said, ''The medical staff on duty at the hospitalopened the windows and doors of the Neonatal Intensive CareUnit wards and shifted the infants to adjoining wards.

However, they could not save the 10 infants. The hospitalstaff saved seven other infants admitted in the affectedunit''.

He said the guilty will not be spared.

The tragedy evoked condolences from President Ram NathKovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress leader RahulGandhi and others.

''Heart-wrenching tragedy in Bhandara, Maharashtra,where we have lost precious young lives. My thoughts are withall the bereaved families. I hope the injured recover as earlyas possible,'' Modi tweeted.

In his tweet posted in Hindi, President Kovind said,''I am deeply saddened by the untimely death of infants in afire accident in Bhandara, Maharashtra. My heartfeltcondolences to the families who lost their children in thisheart-wrenching event''.

Rahul Gandhi has appealed to the Maharashtragovernment to provide all possible assistance to the familiesof the deceased and the injured.

The Congress is a constituent in the Shiv Sena-ledstate government.

''The unfortunate incident of fire at Bhandara DistrictGeneral Hospital in Maharashtra is extremely tragic. Mycondolences to the families of the children who lost theirlives,'' Gandhi said in a tweet.

''I appeal to Maha Govt to provide every possibleassistance to the families of the injured & deceased,'' hesaid.

In a statement, Maharashtra Governor Bhagat SinghKoshyari has expressed profound grief.

''Extremely saddened to know about the most tragicincident of fire at Bhandara civil hospital. Convey my deepestcondolences to the families of the innocent children who losttheir lives,'' he stated.

Terming the death of the ten infants a ''very painful''incident, former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavishas demanded a thorough probe.