10 infants killed, 16 critical in India hospital fire

A fire at the neonatal unit of an Indian hospital killed 10 newborns, authorities said Saturday, with another 16 clinging to life after a blaze blamed on a faulty oxygen machine.

Building fires are common in India due to shoddy construction and a routine disregard for safety regulations.

Friday night's fire broke out at about 10:30 pm (1700 GMT) Friday at the Maharani Lakshmibai Medical College in Jhansi, around 450 kilometres (280 miles) south of the capital New Delhi.

Footage from the scene showed charred beds and walls inside the ward as a crowd of anguished families waited outside.

Babies rescued from the fire, all only days old, were laid side by side on a bed elsewhere in the hospital as hospital staff hooked up their arms to intravenous drips.

"Ten infants have sadly died," Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Brajesh Pathak told reporters.

"Seven bodies have been identified. Three bodies haven't been identified as yet."

Another 16 infants were in critical condition after the blaze, news outlet Times Now reported.

Pathak said a safety audit of the hospital was carried out in February followed by a fire drill three months later.

"The cause of the fire will be probed," he added. "If any lapses are found, strict action will be taken against those responsible and no one will be spared."

District official Avinash Kumar said the fire had been caused by an electrical short circuit in the unit.

"We are providing medical care to the critically injured," he was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times newspaper.

Local media reports quoted other officials who said the fire started in a piece of machinery used to enrich the level of oxygen in the atmosphere.

The high concentration of the combustible gas in the unit helped the fire spread quickly and suddenly, they said.

Broadcaster NDTV reported that 54 infants in total were in the neonatal intensive care unit when the fire broke out.

- 'War footing' -

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the deaths "heart-wrenching" in a post on social media platform X.

"My deepest condolences to those who have lost their innocent children in this. I pray to God to give them the strength to bear this immense loss," he wrote.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath announced compensation of 500,000 rupees ($5,900) to bereaved families.

"The district administration and concerned officials have been instructed to carry out relief and rescue operations on a war footing," Adityanath wrote on X.

"I pray to Lord Shri Ram to provide salvation to the departed souls and speedy recovery to the injured."

Friday's fire comes six months after a similar blaze at a children's hospital in New Delhi that killed six newborns.