At least 10 newborns were reportedly killed after a fire broke out at a hospital in Uttar Pradesh state, India.
The blaze occurred on Friday (15 Nov) at Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College Hospital and quickly spread through the neonatal ward where more than 50 infants were receiving treatment.
After being notified of the incident, firefighters rushed to the hospital and managed to rescue 44 babies. However, at least 16 of them were reported to be in critical condition, reports BBC.
Eyewitnesses shared that the rescue operation only began about 30 minutes after the fire erupted, causing a delay in the evacuation.
The fire was believed to have been caused by either an electrical short circuit or a fault in a machine in the ward.
Source: Associated Press (AP)
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has posted a message online, calling the tragedy “heart-wrenching”.
“My deepest condolences to those who have lost their innocent children in this. I pray to God to give them the strength to bear this immense loss,” he wrote.
Meanwhile, State Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak met with the victims’ families at the hospital on Saturday (16 Nov) to express his condolences.
State officials have announced that the bereaved families will receive a compensation of 500,000 rupees (S$7,960).
Although fire alarms were installed in the intensive care unit, parents and witnesses reported that they were not activated during the blaze. Hospital staff only responded after noticing signs of smoke and fire, reported CNN.
Source: Associated Press (AP)
“If the safety alarm had worked, we could have acted sooner and saved more lives,” said a parent who lost his baby.
Another parent, whose son was saved and is receiving care, agreed that improved safety protocols could have prevented the disaster.
According to The Times of India, initial reports suggested that the fire was caused by a “cylinder blast”. This remains unconfirmed at the time of this article.
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Featured image adapted from Associated Press (AP).
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