Ten newborns have died after a fire broke out at a hospital in Maharashtra at around 2 AM on Saturday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the deaths and called the incident a “heart-wrenching tragedy”.
Bhandara Collector Sandeep Kadam told The Indian Express, “A fire broke out in the outborn section of the hospital around 1.30 am. At the time, there were two nurses and a helper in the children’s ward. They immediately raised an alarm. The fire brigade was called out. But, before it arrived, staffers tried to rescue the children and managed to save seven infants.”
He added, “Rescue efforts were affected by continuous explosions inside the ward. The staffers couldn’t rescue all the children.”
In a tweet, PM Modi wrote: “Heart-wrenching tragedy in Bhandara, Maharashtra, where we have lost precious young lives. My thoughts are with all the bereaved families. I hope the injured recover as early as possible (sic)”
Heart-wrenching tragedy in Bhandara, Maharashtra, where we have lost precious young lives. My thoughts are with all the bereaved families. I hope the injured recover as early as possible.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 9, 2021
At the Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU), Seventeen babies were admitted in the four-storeyed hospital in Maharashtra’s Bhandara district which is about 900 km from the state capital Mumbai.
Seven of them, who were admitted to the inborn ward of the unit, were rescued by the fire brigade officials; those in the outbound ward couldn’t be rescued. They are believed to have died due to suffocation.
All the infants were between a month and three months old, a doctor was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
The state government also announced Rs 5 lakh as compensation to the kin of the deceased. No post-mortems were conducted, and the bodies were handed over to the families.
“Ten children died in a fire that broke out at the SNCU of Bhandara District General Hospital at 2 am today. Seven children were rescued from the unit,” District civil surgeon Pramod Khandate said.
A nurse first noticed smoke coming out from the neonatal care unit, according to PTI, and she alerted the doctors.
The Union Minister for Health & Family Welfare Dr. Harsh Vardhan also tweeted saying,” Spoke to Maharashtra Health Minister Sh @rajeshtope11 ji regarding the most unfortunate incident at Bhandara district hospital where innocent children died in a fire incident. Deepest condolences to the families. Prayers for the safety of innocent new borns who could be rescued.”
Spoke to Maharashtra Health Minister Sh @rajeshtope11 ji regarding the most unfortunate incident at Bhandara district hospital where innocent children died in a fire incident. Deepest condolences to the families. Prayers for the safety of innocent new borns who could be rescued. https://t.co/p9r0MIIT1W
— Dr Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) January 9, 2021
“There were fire extinguishers and staff used them while trying to douse the fire. There was too much smoke,” Dr Khandate said. While the cause of the fire is yet to be confirmed, a short circuit is believed to have set off the blaze. Patients admitted to other wards were shifted safely.
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray spoke to Health Minister Rajesh Tope, and he has also ordered a probe into the incident. “The chief Minister has ordered a probe in the entire incident. He spoke to the district collector and police superintendent and asked them to probe the fire,” his office said in a statement.
