Last Update:16 November 2024 10:30 IST

While at least 16 children were struggling to survive after a huge fire broke out in Jhansi hospital on Friday night, 10 newborn babies lost their lives.

At least 16 children were injured in the incident | Picture/MOMENT

Kuldeep, a resident of Mahoba in Uttar Pradesh, saved three children from a fire that engulfed the baby nursery of a medical college in Jhansi on Friday night, but was left in the dark about the fate of her own newborn.

At least 16 children are fighting for their lives 10 newborns died A massive fire broke out in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College at around 10:45 pm, following a major fire allegedly caused by a short circuit.

Kuldeep’s son was born just 10 days ago and was admitted to Jhansi hospital for routine check-up. While he and his wife were waiting for the doctors in the lobby, a fire suddenly broke out in the ward.

The person rushed to the scene and saved 3 children who burned their hands in the conflict. However, Kuldeep continued to anxiously wait for an update on her own child’s condition as she was unsure whether he was alive or not. Meanwhile, his wife could not hold back her tears and was devastated.

Images from the scene showed panicked patients and their caregivers, while many police personnel helped rescue and aid efforts. The woman who lost her child shared that she could not find her baby after the incident and was later informed that the child was dead.

During this difficult period, some other parents also showed remarkable alertness and acted selflessly to save newborn babies. One such story is the story of Mangal Singh.

Singh, whose newborn son was burned to death, saved many children after a huge fire broke out in the baby ward of the hospital. At that moment, approximately 54 newborns were admitted to the ward, and the authorities took action and saved 44 newborns.

The Man Who Saved 25 Children

Kripal Singh Rajput, whose grandson was hospitalized, said that the fire broke out suddenly when he reached the hospital around 22:00 on Friday night.

When he entered the baby ward, he saw six children in a single bed. Stating that there are 18 beds in the ward, the official raised concerns about the treatment of 54 children in a limited area.

In a brave move, he rescued 25 newborn babies, but said many of them were seriously injured due to the massive fire.

A senior police official stated that 16 children injured in the incident were treated at a local hospital and efforts were accelerated to save them.

“Adequate medical facilities as well as all doctors are serving them,” said Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Jhansi Sudha Singh.

Financial Aid Announced

Ordering a high-level investigation into the incident and seeking a report by Saturday evening, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced that he would give compensation of 5 lakh rupees to the families of the dead children and 50,000 rupees to each of the injured.

His deputy Brajesh Pathak also inspected Jhansi Medical College on Saturday morning and ordered an investigation into the incident. He said action would be taken against those who committed negligence.

“A high-level investigation will be conducted into this incident and if any negligence is detected at any level, action will be taken against it,” X said in his post.

PM Modi ‘Suffered’ from Infant Deaths

Taking note of the fire incident in Jhansi hospital, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep sorrow over the death of 10 children.

“Heartbreaking! The fire accident at Jhansi Medical College in Uttar Pradesh is heartbreaking. I express my deepest condolences to those who lost their innocent children in this incident. I pray to God to give them the strength to bear this great loss. “The local government, under the control of the state government, is making every possible effort for relief and rescue,” he said.

The fire that broke out on Friday night caused a stampede-like situation in the hospital, and fire extinguishing efforts lasted more than two hours. Multiple investigations are ongoing at the state level to catch those responsible for the incident.