Thiruvananthapuram: A five-month-old inmate at the Kerala State Council for Child Welfare, Thycaud, died at the SAT hospital here on Saturday. The baby was brought to the hospital with signs of respiratory distress in the morning. The doctor on duty prescribed nebulization, and the condition was stable. The saturation levels were normal. The baby was then reported as unresponsive, and death was confirmed.

SAT hospital authorities said that an autopsy will be conducted to ascertain the cause of death. There were signs of pneumonia, but a chest X-ray was not taken, and hence, it was not confirmed. "The baby's condition was stable for a while. She was being held by a caretaker who alerted that the baby was unresponsive," a senior official with the SAT said.

The baby had been hospitalised at the SAT recently. CWC chairman Arun Gopi said that the baby was sick, and he ruled out reports that the baby died from choking on milk. "The baby had some health issues and was very weak," he said.

In February, a two-month-old inmate of the CWC died at a hospital after being admitted with high fever and vomiting.