Jhansi, 16 November 2024: At least 10 children died after a fire broke out in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, on Friday night, with officials warning that the death toll may rise.
The blaze reportedly started around 10:45 p.m., likely due to an electrical short circuit, District Magistrate Avinash Kumar told reporters. “Prima facie there is information of the death of 10 children,” he said. According to Kumar, children in the outer section of the NICU, where less critical patients are housed, were rescued, while those in the more critical interior section faced the brunt of the fire.
Divisional Commissioner Jhansi Vimal Dubey, who arrived at the hospital shortly after the fire, confirmed that approximately 30 children were in the NICU’s interior section at the time, and most were saved. Fire brigade teams were dispatched, and senior district officers also reached the hospital to oversee rescue operations, Jhansi police reported on social media.
Among the victims was the newborn of a couple from Mahoba district. The grieving mother, whose baby was born on November 13, told reporters, “My child has been killed in fire.”
Footage from the hospital depicted scenes of panic, with patients and their families scrambling for safety as police and rescue teams aided in evacuation efforts.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed sorrow over the tragedy and directed officials to provide medical treatment to the injured. “He also wished for the speedy recovery of the injured,” a government statement from Lucknow noted. The chief minister has ordered district officials and fire brigade teams to accelerate relief work at the hospital.
Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, also the state’s health minister, and the principal secretary of health were dispatched to Jhansi on Adityanath’s orders, while the divisional commissioner and the deputy inspector general of the police range were instructed to submit a report within 12 hours.
Jhansi Lok Sabha MP Anurag Sharma expressed deep sadness over the incident. “I am extremely pained by this incident,” he told a news channel. Sadar MLA Ravi Sharma reached the hospital shortly after the incident to oversee the situation.
(With PTI Inputs)
