Ten New Born Babies Killed after Fire Rages Through Hospital in India

Ten new born babies were killed after a fire raged through a hospital the India state of Maharashtra early on Saturday. Hospital staff managed to rescued seven of the newborn infants at the Bhandara district hospital but were beaten back before they could reach other 10, a senior doctor, said.

All of the new born babies who died were aged between a few days and three months, according to reports.

“The cause of the fire is not known yet but our staff extinguished the fire as soon as they could. The smoke led to the babies suffocating,” the senior doctor said. Nurses on duty noticed a fire coming from the hospital’s neonatal unit and raised the alarm.

The fire brigade stopped the blaze from spreading to other parts of the hospital and other patients were moved to safety.

Heartfelt condolences to the families

Authorities also ordered an immediate inquiry into the latest disaster to raise doubts about safety in Indian hospitals. More than 90 people died in an inferno in a Kolkata hospital in 2011.

A fire at a hospital in Ahmedabad, India in August killed eight coronavirus patients. Another five Covid-19 patients died in a blaze in a clinic in Rajkot in November.

The supreme court also called for a report on safety in coronavirus hospitals because of the incidents.