Bhopal: At least four children died after a massive fire broke out in the paediatric department of Kamal Nehru Children's Hospital here on Monday.
Medical Education Minister Vishwas Sarang, who rushed to the spot, said a short circuit may have caused the fire.
"Four children have died in the fire. The others [36 children] are safe," Sarang said, describing the situation as "very scary".
A total of 40 children were admitted to the ward. Thirty-six children have been moved to different wards and are undergoing treatment.
The fire broke out around 9 pm on the third floor of the building which housed the ward, Fatehgarh fire station in-charge Juber Khan said.
"Ten fire tenders were rushed to the spot to douse the flames," he added. He too said that the fire may have been caused by a short circuit.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has announced an ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh each for the family members of the victims.
Chouhan has also ordered a high-level probe into the incident.
"The probe will be conducted by ACS (additional chief secretary), health and medical education, Mohammad Suleiman," the chief minister said.
In a tweet in Hindi, Chouhan said that the rescue operation was swift and the blaze is under control now.
Even hours after the blaze was doused, huge commotion and confusion prevailed on the hospital campus as the kin of the children admitted to the paediatric ward could not get any information about the situation inside and were prevented from venturing in.
More children and others including hospital staff were reported to be injured in the accident and there were visuals of them being shifted out in stretchers.
The chief minister wished for their early recovery in a tweet, but no other details were available about the injured even after midnight.
Former chief minister and Leader of Opposition Kamal Nath termed the incident "very painful" and demanded stern action against those responsible.
In a tweet, state BJP president Vishnu Dutt Sharma also expressed grief over the incident. He said he was praying for the speedy recovery of those injured.
The Kamla Nehru Hospital, basically a Bhopal gas tragedy relief hospital, is part of Hamidia Hospital, one of the biggest government medical facilities in the state.
The paediatric ward, situated on the third floor of the hospital building, was slated to be shifted to a new building of the Hamidia Hospital. But the tragedy struck before the proposed shifting.
Earlier on October 7, a fire had broken out on the second floor of the new building on Hamidia Hospital campus. This fire was in the storeroom of the building contractor and was controlled in an hour. Not much damage was reported then.
(With inputs from PTI)
