Taking strong note of the shocking incident, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray ordered an investigation into the cause of the fire in the district, around 900 km from Mumbai.
Expressing anguish over the tragedy, the Chief Minister also discussed the matter with Health Minister Rajesh Tope and district authorities and said stringent punishment must be given to those found responsible.
Thackeray and Tope have also spoken to the Collector and Superintendent of Police of Bhandara and directed them to take up immediate relief measures.
District Surgeon Dr. Pramod Khandate told mediapersons that the hospital staff and fire brigade managed to rescue 7 infants from the ‘inbound ward’ after battling the blaze with fire-extinguishers.
The fire broke out at the Sick Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) of Bhandara District General Hospital at 2am on Saturday. (Photo: ANI)
NAGPUR: Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh has ordered an inquiry into the fire incident at the Sick Newborn Care Unit (SNCU) of Bhandara District General Hospital.
At least 10 newborn babies were killed and seven others had a miraculous escape after a fire broke out in the wee hours of Saturday.
Deshmukh, who was in Mumbai, flew to Nagpur and headed to Bhandara to visit the hospital. He is also expected to conduct a meeting of the concerned officials of the health department, hospital and police officers.
10 babies killed in hospital fire in Maharashtra’s Bhandara
All infants who were killed in the hospital fire in Maharashtra s Bhandara were between a month and three-months in age. The state government has ordered an investigation.
Representative image
At least 10 newborn children died after a fire broke out at the sick newborn care unit (SNCU) of Bhandara Civil Hospital close to Nagpur, Maharashtra in the early hours on January 9.
As many as seven newborn children were rescued immediately as soon as the fire broke out at around 2.00 am, The Hindustan Times cited Bhandara district’s civil surgeon Dr. Pramod Khandate as saying. Khandate added that an inquiry has been ordered into the incident.
10 Babies Killed in Hospital Fire in Maharashtra; PM Modi Says Heart-wrenching Tragedy
State health minister Rajesh Tope said Rs 5 lakh would be paid to the family members of each of the deceased infants according to CM Thackeray’s decision.
| 9 Jan 2021 6:55 AM GMT
MUMBAI: In an unfortunate incident, 10 newborn babies were found dead after a fire broke out at a hospital in Maharashtra in the wee hours of January 9.
According to reports, the incident occurred at around 2 AM.
Meanwhile, PM Narendra Modi took to his Twitter handle and wrote, Heart-wrenching tragedy in Bhandara, Maharashtra, where we have lost precious young lives. My thoughts are with all the bereaved families. I hope the injured recover as early as possible.
Ten newborn babies died on Saturday in a fire at a state-run hospital in western India, officials said. There were 17 infants in the unit for sick newborn babies when the fire broke out in the early hours of Saturday at the Bhandara District General Hospital in Maharashtra state. FCMB MD not the father of […]