10 newborn babies killed in hospital NICU fire

Ten newborn babies dead after fire neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in a hospital.

On Friday, November 15, the fire occurred at the Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College Hospital in the city of Jhansi in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, according to the BBC.

A total of 55 babies were being treated at the hospital, Bimal Kumar Dubey, a local official, told police. Associated press. The dozens of babies who survived are currently receiving medical care, according to the source, with at least 16 in critical condition, the BBC reported.

According to the AP, which cited eyewitnesses, firefighters began their rescue “about 30 minutes” after the fire started. Initial findings, the outlet said, indicate that errors in safety protocols — such as expired fire extinguishers and fire alarms that did not work — are likely the cause of the incident.

Brajesh Pathak, the state’s deputy chief minister, told the AP that the fire safety systems at the hospital had been inspected earlier in February and a training exercise took place in June. “The cause of the fire will be investigated,” he said The Guardian. “If any lapses are found, strict action will be taken against those responsible and no one will be spared.”

The BBC reported that three of the 10 babies who died in the fire have yet to be identified.

“When the fire broke out, I couldn’t go in to save my baby. How could I? If no one could get in, how could anyone hand me my baby?” a mother told news agency ANI about her 10-day-old child, according to the BBC.

“If the safety alarm had worked, we could have acted sooner and saved more lives,” Naresh Kumar, a parent who lost his baby, told the AP.

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After the incident, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared a post on X, formerly Twitter, calling the deaths “heartbreaking.”

“My deepest condolences to those who lost their innocent children in this. I pray to God to give them the strength to bear this immense loss,” he said. wroteadding the investigation, which is still ongoing, “The local administration, under the supervision of the state government, is making all possible efforts for relief and rescue.”