A massive fire at Uttar Pradesh's Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College in Jhansi claimed the lives of at least 10 children on late Friday night while 16 others are battling for life. According to the officials, the fire at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) broke out possibly due to an electrical short circuit.
Several purported visuals have emerged on social media showing panic-struck patients and their caretakers being evacuated with the aid of police personnel in rescue and relief measures.
Upon receiving information, a team of firefighters was rushed to the spot while senior officers of the district also reached the medical college, Jhansi police said in a brief statement on social media.
Many children from the outer part of the NICU were rescued, along with some of those who were in the interior part. Less critical patients are admitted in the outer section of the NICU while the more critical patients are kept in the interior part.
The Uttar Pradesh government on Saturday announced an ex-gratia of rupees 5 lakh each to the parents of the deceased, an official said.
PTI cited a statement issued by the state government saying,"On the instructions of the chief minister, an assistance of Rs 5 lakh each is being provided to the parents of the newborn babies, who died untimely in the incident, and Rs 50,000 each to the family members of the injured from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund."
What did the officials say?
Talking to PTI, District Magistrate (DM) Avinash Kumar told that the fire broke out around 10.45 pm on Friday in the NICU of the Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College, possibly due to an electrical short circuit.
"Prima facie there is information of the death of 10 children," the DM said.
Divisional Commissioner Jhansi Bimal Kumar Dubey also reached the spot around midnight. According to him, there were about 30 children in the interior section of the NICU and most of them were rescued.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Jhansi Sudha Singh on Saturday said another 16 children who suffered injuries in the episode were undergoing treatment. There were over 50 children admitted in the NICU when the incident took place.
CM Adityanath takes action
Taking cognisance of the tragic incident, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed officials of the district administration to ensure proper treatment to the injured.
"The death of children in an accident that took place in the NICU of the medical college located in Jhansi district is extremely sad and heartbreaking. District administration and concerned officials have been instructed to conduct relief and rescue operations on a war footing," he posted on X
According to PTI, the chief minister also directed the district administration officials and the fire brigade vehicles to reach the spot and expedite the relief work.
Following the CM's order, Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, who also holds the health portfolio, travelled to Jhansi to supervise the rescue operation. The state's principal secretary of health was accompanying Pathak on the directions of Adityanath, an official statement said.
The CM also sought a report on the matter within 12 hours from Divisional Commissioner Bimal Kumar Dubey and Deputy Inspector General (Jhansi police range) Kalanidhi Naithani.
Delhi children hospital fire
Back in May, seven newborns were killed in a similar fire incident at Delhi's Baby Care New Born Hospital. The tragedy underscored several lapses in safety measures at the hospital as it lacked adequate fire extinguishers and an emergency exit. Moreover, the on-duty doctor at the time of the accident was not qualified to treat newborns.
The fire, as per a report by NDTV, quickly intensified due to the presence of numerous oxygen cylinders that began to explode.
Furthermore, the licence issued to the hospital by the Directorate General of Health Services or DGHS also expired on March 31, nearly two months before the accident.
