Infant rescued from Jhansi hospital fire dies, toll rises to 11

Jhansi: Another newborn has succumbed following the tragic fire at the Special Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) of Maharani Laxmibai Government Medical College on Friday night, bringing the death toll to 11. The child, who was rescued from the ward during the blaze, died during treatment. District Magistrate (DM) Avinash Kumar clarified that the infant’s death was due to illness and not burns sustained in the fire.

“At the time of the incident, there were 49 newborns in the SNCU. Of these, 39 were rescued. Sadly, another baby passed away during treatment on Sunday,” DM Avinash Kumar said.

Earlier the administration had claimed that there were 55 children in the ward.

The devastating fire left 10 infants charred to death. Autopsies revealed that the bodies of the deceased were burned beyond recognition, with over 80 per cent of their bodies affected. DNA samples were collected to confirm identities. Seven of the eight missing newborns were located, but one child remains unaccounted for.

Three teams of two doctors each conducted the postmortems on the deceased infants. Initially, seven bodies were sent for examination, but the identification of three others was delayed due to the severity of the burns. By evening, the remaining infants were identified, and their bodies were handed over to the bereaved families. The inferno, which erupted on Friday night, turned the unit into a horrifying scene of devastation. The postmortem findings revealed that all the infants were so badly burnt that even their bones were exposed. The little ones died within minutes due to the intense heat. DNA samples were collected from the charred remains to aid identification in case of disputes or future needs. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. While the hospital administration attributes the blaze to a short circuit, officials have yet to provide clear answers on how it occurred. It is believed that the fire was triggered by a short circuit caused by excessive electrical load on SNCU equipment. The spark reportedly reached an oxygen concentrator, escalating the fire. In the SNCU ward, where newborns with critical conditions such as jaundice and pneumonia are treated, warmers and monitoring machines run continuously.