Fire in the neonatal ward of an Indian hospital kills ten babies

LUCKNOW: Ten newborn babies died from burns and suffocation after a fire ravaged a neonatal intensive care unit in northern India, a government official said on Saturday.

The fire broke out late Friday at the Maharani Laxmibai Medical College in Jhansi district, about 285 kilometers southwest of Lucknow, the capital of the state of Uttar Pradesh.

Emergency workers rescued 38 newborns from the unit, which housed 49 babies at the time of the incident, Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak said.

“Seventeen of the injured are being treated in different wards and some private hospitals,” Pathak told reporters in Jhansi. Seven of the deceased babies have been identified, while authorities are working to identify the remaining three, he said.

One baby is still missing, said a government official who asked not to be identified because he is not authorized to speak to the media.

The cause of the fire remains unknown. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ordered an inquiry into the incident.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences over the “heartbreaking” incident.

“My deepest condolences to those who lost their innocent children in this,” Modi said. “I pray to God to give them the strength to bear this immense loss.”