Ten newborns lost their precious lives at the maternity unit after a terrible fire erupted at a hospital.
The tragic incident took place at Bhandara District General Hospital in Maharashtra, India, where a massive blaze reportedly erupted at 2 am on Saturday.
At the time of the fire, 17 newborn babies were admitted at the neonatal unit, whereas the staff only managed to save 7 from the blaze.
As senior doctor Pramod Khandate claimed, the staff were not able to reach ten of the babies stationed at the hospital after the fire had spread throughout the neonatal unit.
Dr. Khandate also explained how a nurse notified the staff about the fire after seeing smoke coming from the maternity unit.
Following the tragic incident, the authorities have launched a probe into the matter. Besides ordering an investigation into the fire, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray also promised that families of the deceased babies would receive Rs 5 lakhs ($6,800) each.
As of this writing, the investigation remains on-going. While the cause of the fire hasn’t been officially confirmed, the administration at the hospital suggested that an electrical short-circuit could be responsible for the blaze.
After the tragic incident, the authorities vowed not to spare those responsible for the fire.
“I have been told that the prima facie of the fire at the Bhandara hospital was a short circuit. Of the 10 children, three died due to fire while 7 died due to smoke. Strict action will be taken against culprits,” Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope revealed.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said: “Those responsible for the tragedy will not be spared. I understand the pain of the parents. I will do whatever it takes to help them.”
Our thoughts are with the families of the deceased newborns.
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