Three newborns were killed after a massive fire broke out at a district hospital in Maharashtra's Amravati. The fire erupted in the neonatal unit following an explosion in a ventilator, news agency ANI reported.
The incident occurred around 3.30 am at Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), which was located on the third floor of the hospital.
An evacuation operation was reportedly launched by doctors, nurses and other staff on duty soon after the blaze erupted. The hospital staff managed to rescue several infants from the ward. As many as 39 newborns were admitted to the unit. Six infants were shifted to Divisional Referral Services Hospital for further treatment.
A video of the hospital ward showed charred remains of the equipment and blackened walls.
{{/usCountry}}A video of the hospital ward showed charred remains of the equipment and blackened walls.
{{/usCountry}}A police team reached the spot and launched preliminary investigation. The details on the cause of the fire are and the condition of the rescued infants are awaited.
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Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule expressed grief at the incident while announcing that a comprehensive inquiry has been ordered. Bawankule, who is also Amravati's guardian minister, assured the families of all necessary assistance from the government. He further said he was keeping a close watch on the situation.
"I am deeply saddened by today's incident in Amravati. My heart is heavy. The government stands with the relatives of the deceased children and the government and administration are providing all possible help," he said.
Congress MLA from Amravati, Sulbha Sanjay Khodke, said a fire audit was being conducted. Attributing the fire to an electrical issue, Khodke said, "We cannot say what exactly happened with the electrical system yet. The electrical work was being monitored on a day-to-day basis by those responsible. Despite that, this incident involving the ventilator and the electrical system occurred. We will know what happened only after the investigation."
In a similar incident, on Saturday, three newborns sustained burn injuries after a fire broke out in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the Chhindwara District Hospital, Madhya Pradesh.
Civil Surgeon of the district hospital, Kanchan Dubey, said the incident occurred at around 1:50 am when a spark in the filament of a warmer used in the NICU caused the equipment to catch fire, resulting in burn injuries to three newborns.
"There were 30 other children there, making a total of 33. Three babies were affected and the remaining 30 were immediately shifted to safety by our staff, including nurses and guards, who acted promptly and saved their lives," she said.