At least 10 children were killed, 16 were injured, and 37 others were rescued after a fire broke out in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Maharani Laxmibai Medical College in Uttar Pradesh‘s Jhansi on Friday night, police said.
ADG Zone Kanpur, Alok Singh, confirmed that the fire was caused by an electrical short circuit and that the children who died were in incubators at the time. He added that 47 infants were admitted to the ward at the time of the incident.
After visiting the site, Jhansi DIG Kalanidhi Naithani said that all the deceased were infants, and 16 others were injured.
Jhansi district magistrate said, “Between 10:30 and 10:45 pm, a short circuit occurred inside the NICU unit, which led to a fire. The children who were outside the unit were saved. Many of those inside were also rescued, but unfortunately, 10 children have died so far. The rescue operation is ongoing. The fire brigade and rescue team responded immediately, managing to save many children. We are providing medical care to the critically injured. According to the duty staff, the fire was caused by a short circuit.”
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath expressed his condolences to the bereaved families and took swift action by directing officials to expedite relief efforts and ensure proper treatment for the injured.
Taking to X, CM Yogi said, “The death of children in an accident that occurred in the NICU of the medical college located in Jhansi district is extremely sad and heartbreaking. The district administration and concerned officials have been instructed to carry out relief and rescue operations on a war footing. I pray to Lord Shri Ram to provide salvation to the departed souls and speedy recovery to the injured.”
Following the chief minister’s instructions, deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak and the principal secretary for health were dispatched to Jhansi to oversee the situation. Additionally, CM Yogi directed the Commissioner and DIG to investigate the incident and submit a detailed report within 12 hours.
Officials said the rescue operation is ongoing, with teams working to save as many children as possible.
(With inputs from Haidar Naqvi)