A fire broke out Friday night in one of the two units of the NICU at Maharani Laxmibai Medical College, Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh. Ten newborn babies were burnt to death, and 16 others were injured, leading to massive destruction.
The Devastating Mishap
According to authorities, the fire began between 10:30 and 10:45 PM. At that time, 54 infants were in the NICU and the blaze quickly engulfed the interior. Medical staff and firefighters worked to rescue patients by breaking windows to evacuate them as smoke filled the ward. While 44 infants were saved, the lives of 10 children were tragically lost and 16 infants suffered injuries.
Avinash Kumar, Jhansi District Magistrate, said, "Children in the outer part of the NICU have been rescued and some of them from the inner part too. Ten, unfortunately, had to die." Six fire engines responded to extinguish the blaze. Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak stated that seven of the dead have already been identified. A committee has also been announced by the deputy chief minister to investigate the cause of the fire.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed his deep condolences to the grieving families, describing the incident as "extremely sad and heartbreaking." On X (formerly Twitter), he called for relief operations on a war footing and directed officials to submit a detailed report within 12 hours
Inputs by Agencies
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