Ten newborn babies died in Bhandara district hospital after fire broke out in the Special Newborn Care Unit at around 2 am Saturday.
The disastrous hospital fire which broke out in Maharashtra's Bhandara district during the wee hours of Saturday has left everyone in shock. In a shocking incident, ten newborn babies succumbed to fire injuries in the Maharashtra hospital in the wee hours on Saturday. According to doctors, a fire broke out in the Special Newborn Care Unit of the Bhandara district hospital at around 2 am.
The newborns are aged between a month and three months, said a doctor. Expressing grief over the tragic death of infants, Maharashtra Chief minister ordered a probe to investigate the cause of the fire.
CM Uddhav Thackeray has ordered a probe after learning about the incident. The statement issued by the chief minister's office said, "The chief Minister has ordered a probe in the entire incident. He spoke to the district collector and police superintendent and asked them to probe the fire."
Many other political leaders have also extended their condolences over the unfortunate incident.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a tweet, "Heart-wrenching tragedy in Bhandara, Maharashtra, where we have lost precious young lives. My thoughts are with all the bereaved families. I hope the injured recover as early as possible".
While, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi urged the Maharashtra government to provide all possible assistance to the families of the deceased and the injured.
He tweeted this morning, "The unfortunate incident of fire at Bhandara District General Hospital in Maharashtra is extremely tragic. My condolences to the families of the children who lost their lives."
"I appeal to Maha Govt to provide every possible assistance to the families of the injured & deceased," Rahul Gandhi added.
District civil surgeon Pramod Khandate said there were 17 babies in the unit of whom seven could be rescued.
Devendra Fadnavis, Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly also expressed grief over the incident. He called the incident 'painful' and demanded a thorough inquiry. He said in a statement, "The government should carry out a thorough inquiry into the incident and initiate action against those who are responsible for the death of 10 infants. It is a very painful accident."