Ten newborns were killed in a massive fire that engulfed the neonatal unit of Maharani Lakshmibai Medical College in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh. The fire engulfed the hospital ward around 10:30 Friday night, reducing it to dust and ashes. Chaos reigned as families rushed out carrying the charred bodies of their infants.
It seems that the fire was due to a malfunctioning oxygen concentrator, which caused severe burns and suffocation. Seventeen injured newborns are under treatment, while ten deaths have been identified so far. More effort is going into identifying the remaining victims. The tragedy of newborns killed in UP hospital has shaken the entire region.
Distressing footage from the hospital shows the beds and walls burnt to ashes. Among other testimonies, witnesses said that the alarms at the neonatal unit failed to sound. Parents and staff only reacted after seeing flames and smoke. “Had the alarms worked, more lives could have been saved,” Naresh Kumar said in total despair as a father to one of the victims.
Watch video: Newborns killed and burnt alive in UP hospital
With fire pouring from all windows of the unit, firefighters broke through windows to get to the infants. During their rescue attempts, a nurse got burn injuries trying to salvage the babies. This incident does raise quite serious questions over safety processes in this hospital.
The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, has announced compensation to the bereaved families. Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the deaths as “heart-wrenching.” That isn’t the first incidence of newborns killed in UP. Six months ago, a similar fire in a Delhi hospital had claimed seven lives with systemic safety lapses found in healthcare facilities.
The administrators want stern action in case of negligence. But for the families, no such action is possible, which can nullify the killing of their innocent kids. The nation grieves while coming to terms with another preventable tragedy.
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