10 newborns dead, 16 critical in hospital fire in UP's Jhansi
The fire broke out in the NICU around 10.45 pm on Friday, reportedly due to an electrical short circuit.
The fire broke out in the NICU around 10.45 pm on Friday, reportedly due to an electrical short circuit.
The fire broke out in the NICU around 10.45 pm on Friday, reportedly due to an electrical short circuit.
Jhansi: A devastating fire at the children’s ward of Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College in Uttar Pradesh’s Jhansi district claimed the lives of at least 10 children, with 16 others critically injured and undergoing treatment.
The fire broke out in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) around 10.45 pm on Friday, reportedly due to an electrical short circuit, District Magistrate (DM) Avinash Kumar told PTI.
"Prima facie there is information of the death of 10 children," the DM told reporters, adding that the children in the outer section of the NICU and some from the interior were rescued. The outer section typically houses less critical patients, while the more critical cases are in the interior part.
Divisional Commissioner Jhansi, Bimal Kumar Dubey, who arrived at the scene by midnight, stated that there were about 30 children in the interior section, and most were rescued. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Jhansi Sudha Singh confirmed on Saturday that 16 injured children were receiving treatment.
Over 50 children were reportedly in the NICU at the time of the fire. Emergency services, including fire brigade personnel, rushed to the scene, and senior district officials coordinated rescue efforts. The rescue operations concluded around 1 am, with officials vowing to determine the circumstances leading to the incident.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed profound grief over the tragedy, describing it as "extremely sad and heartbreaking." He directed district officials to provide proper treatment for the injured and ensure relief operations were conducted on a war footing.
In a post on X, he conveyed his condolences and wished for the speedy recovery of those injured. Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, who oversees the health portfolio, headed to Jhansi along with the state’s principal health secretary on Adityanath’s orders.
The chief minister instructed Divisional Commissioner Dubey and Deputy Inspector General (Jhansi police range) Kalanidhi Naithani to submit a detailed report within 12 hours. Jhansi MP Anurag Sharma said, "I am extremely pained by this incident," adding that he was out of town but closely monitoring the situation.