Bhandara: In a horrific tragedy, ten babies died after a fire broke out at a neo-natal care ward of a state-run hospital at Bhandara in eastern Maharashtra in the early hours of Saturday. The staff managed to rescue seven of the 17 babies in the ward.
While the cause was suspected to be a short circuit or malfunctioning air-conditioning unit and the state government ordered a probe by fire experts, a BJP leader alleged that there were complaints about power fluctuations in the ward but no action was taken.
Those responsible shall not be spared, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said. A fire audit of all the hospitals in the state has been ordered, he informed. Calling the incident "heart-wrenching and mind-numbing", Thackeray announced aid of Rs 5 lakh for family members of deceased babies.
The deceased infants — eight girls and two boys — were aged between one month and three months, a doctor said.
State Health Minister Rajesh Tope told reporters that three of the ten infants died of burn injuries while seven others died of suffocation caused by smoke.
According to doctors, the blaze erupted in the Special Newborn Care Unit of the hospital around 1.30 am.
According to District civil surgeon Pramod Khandate, a nurse noticed smoke coming out from the neonatal section — which needs continuous oxygen supply — and alerted doctors and other staff who rushed there and tried to douse flames with fire extinguishers before fire brigade arrived.
"The government has ordered a high-level probe to find out if a short circuit or the air conditioner malfunctioning was the reason," said state home minister Anil Deshmukh.
Experts of National Fire Service College and the Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT) will conduct an investigation, he said.
The tragedy evoked condolences from President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and others.
"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," Modi tweeted.