Ten newborns killed in India hospital fire

Faulty oxygen machine behind blaze at Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College in Jhansi, authorities say

The gutted neonatal intensive care unit at Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College and Hospital in Jhansi, India. Photo: X

A fire killed 10 newborn babies and injured 16 at a hospital in India, authorities said on Saturday, blaming the blaze on a faulty oxygen machine.

The fire occurred late on Friday in the neonatal unit of the Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College and Hospital in Jhansi. The city in Uttar Pradesh state is about 450km south of the capital New Delhi.

Officials said the blaze spread quickly through the ward, where 55 infants were being treated. Forty-five were rescued and are receiving medical care, said Bimal Kumar Dubey, a local official.

Building fires are common in India due to poor-quality construction and routine disregard for safety regulations. Friday's fire comes six months after a similar blaze at a children's hospital in New Delhi that killed six newborns.

Footage from the scene showed charred beds and walls inside the ward as a crowd of anguished families waited outside.

Babies rescued from the fire, all only days old, were laid side by side on beds elsewhere in the hospital as staff hooked up their arms to intravenous drips.

“Ten infants have sadly died,” Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak told reporters. “Seven bodies have been identified. Three bodies haven't been identified as yet.” Another 16 infants were in critical condition after the blaze, news outlet Times Now reported.

Mr Pathak said a safety audit of the hospital was carried out in February followed by a fire drill three months later.

“The cause of the fire will be probed,” he added. “If any lapses are found, strict action will be taken against those responsible and no one will be spared.”

District official Avinash Kumar said the fire had been caused by an electrical short-circuit in the unit. “We are providing medical care to the critically injured,” he was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times newspaper.

Local media reports quoted other officials as saying the fire started in a machine used to enrich the level of oxygen in the atmosphere. The high concentration of the combustible gas in the unit made the fire spread quickly and suddenly, they said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the deaths “heart-wrenching” in a post on social media platform X. “My deepest condolences to those who have lost their innocent children in this. I pray to God to give them the strength to bear this immense loss,” he wrote.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced compensation of 500,000 rupees ($5,900) to each of the bereaved families. “The district administration and concerned officials have been instructed to carry out relief and rescue operations on a war footing,” Mr Adityanath said on X.