Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has ordered an inquiry into the fire at a hospital in Jhansi that left 10 children dead, and around 16 injured. The report is to be submitted within 12 hours.
The fire broke out at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Maharani Lakshmibai Medical College late on Friday night. It is still unclear whether it was a short circuit or an oxygen gas cylinder explosion that caused it.
Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh: A massive fire broke out in the NICU of Maharani Laxmibai Medical College, claiming the lives of 10 newborns. The tragedy occurred on Friday night in the Pediatric Ward (SNCU). Six fire brigade vehicles are at the scene, and 40 children have been rescued.… pic.twitter.com/nHp0hVgckm
— IANS (@ians_india) November 15, 2024
State Health Minister Brajesh Pathak is present at the site.
Jhansi District Magistrate Avinash Kumar said that according to the hospital staff, the fire broke out between 10.30pm and 10.45pm. The child care unit was divided into two parts, with the more serious children in the innermost area of the NICU. The 10 infants who perished were in this inside unit.
#WATCH | Jhansi Medical College Fire tragedy | UP Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak says, " In February, the fire safety audit was done. In June, a mock drill was also done. How this incident happened and why it happened, we can only say something about it once the probe report comes...7… pic.twitter.com/KTQe1Y5Sc3
— ANI (@ANI) November 16, 2024
Initial reports suggest that the fire alarm did not go off and this delayed rescue efforts which started only when smoke was seen emanating from the ward.
Shocking videos of the children being rushed out by hospital staff and parents started doing the rounds on social media late on Friday night and in the early hours of Saturday.
CM Adityanath posted on X that rescue operations on a ‘war footing’ were on.
जनपद झांसी स्थित मेडिकल कॉलेज के NICU में घटित एक दुर्घटना में हुई बच्चों की मृत्यु अत्यंत दुःखद एवं हृदयविदारक है।
— Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) November 15, 2024
जिला प्रशासन तथा संबंधित अधिकारियों को युद्ध स्तर पर राहत एवं बचाव कार्यों को संचालित कराने के निर्देश दिए हैं।
प्रभु श्री राम से प्रार्थना है कि दिवंगत आत्माओं…
President Droupadi Murmu, too, took to X to express her grief.
उत्तर प्रदेश में महारानी लक्ष्मीबाई मेडिकल कॉलेज, झांसी में हुई दुर्घटना में कई नवजात शिशुओं की मृत्यु का समाचार अत्यंत हृदय विदारक है। ईश्वर, शोक संतप्त माता-पिता और परिवारजनों को, यह क्रूर आघात सहन करने की शक्ति प्रदान करें। मैं घायल हुए शिशुओं के शीघ्र स्वस्थ होने की प्रार्थना…
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) November 16, 2024
Six fire brigades were dispatched to the hospital as soon as the fire broke out. However, 37 infants were rescued by the doctors before any other help arrived.
Congress leader Pradeep Jain described the scene as ‘terrifying’, adding it was one that no one should be condemned to seeing. He also said that while the hospital staff had tried its best, those children who were saved but burnt in some measure, would be susceptible to infections and thus the toll could rise. Jain added that he had requested the administration to send the children to Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital to ensure that most of them could be saved.
BJP MLA Rajiv Singh Parichcha labelled it a ‘sad and unfortunate’ incident.
