Senegal president says 11 newborn babies die in a fire at regional hospital

Senegal's President Macky Sall said on Wednesday that 11 newborn babies died in a fire at the neonatal section of a regional hospital in the town of Tivaouane, around 120 km (74.56 miles) east of the capital Dakar.

"I have just learned with pain and consternation the death of 11 newborn babies in the fire that occurred in the neonatology department of the Mame Abdou Aziz Sy Dabakh hospital in Tivaouane," Sall said in a Tweet without giving further details about the fire. "To their mothers and their families, I express my deepest sympathy," he added.

The fire service and regional officials could not be immediately reached for comment.

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