DELAYED EVACUATION: A parent said the tragedy could have been prevented if the safety alarm had worked, but instead hospital staff only acted after seeing signs of smoke
AFP and AP, LUCKNOW, India
A fire at the neonatal unit of an Indian hospital killed 10 newborns, authorities said yesterday, with another 16 clinging to life after a blaze blamed on a faulty oxygen machine.
The fire, which broke out at about 10:30pm on Friday night at the Maharani Lakshmibai Medical College in Jhansi, spread quickly through the ward, where 55 infants were being treated.
Forty-five babies were rescued and are receiving medical care, local official Bimal Kumar Dubey said.
Police officers yesterday examine a damaged neonatal intensive care unit after a fire broke out at the Maharani Lakshmibai Medical College in Jhansi, India.
Photo: Reuters
Footage from the scene showed charred beds and walls inside the ward as a crowd of anguished families waited outside.
“My child has gone forever,” one mother wailed as she clutched her head in grief.
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 who were rescued were undergoing medical treatment, police superintendent Gyanendra Kumar Singh said.
The fire likely started in a piece of machinery used to enrich the level of oxygen in the atmosphere, he said.
“All children rescued are safe and getting medical attention,” Singh said. “The fire was most likely due to a fire in an oxygen concentrator.”
Pathak, who visited the hospital and met with families, pledged government support for the victims’ families and promised a thorough investigation.
“The cause of the fire will be probed,” he said. “If any lapses are found, strict action will be taken against those responsible and no one will be spared.”
A safety audit of the hospital was carried out in February followed by a fire drill three months later, he said.
When the firefighters arrived, the ward was engulfed in flames and plumes of smoke. Rescuers had to break through windows to reach the newborn babies.
Eyewitnesses said the rescue operation began about 30 minutes after the fire erupted, delaying evacuation efforts.
The accident has raised questions over the hospital’s safety measures. While fire alarms had been installed in the intensive care unit, parents and witnesses said they did not activate during the blaze. Hospital staff acted only after they saw signs of smoke and fire.
“If the safety alarm had worked, we could have acted sooner and saved more lives,” said Naresh Kumar, a parent who lost his baby.
Akhtar Hussain, whose son was rescued and is receiving treatment in an adjacent ward, agreed that the tragedy could have been prevented if the hospital had better safety protocols.
Friday’s fire comes six months after a similar blaze at a children’s hospital in New Delhi that killed six newborns. Authorities said that hospital was not properly licensed and lacked proper fire exits, and police arrested a doctor and the facility’s owner in the aftermath.
The May blaze occurred just hours after least 27 people were killed, including several children, when a fire broke out at a packed amusement park arcade in another part of the country.
