LUCKNOW, India: A fire at the neonatal unit of an Indian hospital killed 10 newborns, authorities said on Saturday ( Nov 16 ), with another 39 rescued from a blaze that is blamed on a faulty oxygen machine.
Creating fires are common in India as a result of a lack of fire equipment and a frequent disregard for safety standards.
Around 450 kilometers south of New Delhi, at around 10.30 p.m. ( 5 p.m. GMT ), the fire started at the Maharani Lakshmibai Medical College in Jhansi, which is located about 450 kilometers south of the city.
As a group of afflicted families waited inside, footage from the picture captured charred beds and walls inside the hospital.
” My child has gone forever”, one family wailed as she clutched her head in pain.
All days older babies that had been saved from the flames were moved to a new hospital unit where staff were taking care of them.
” Ten kids have sadly died despite our best efforts”, physician Narendra Sengar, the main of a medical school attached to the doctor, told AFP.
Sengar claimed that all 39 of the other children in the hospital were saved and in good health, which was in contrast to earlier reports that 16 had suffered serious injuries.
” The children are being conducted for postmortem investigations. The 39 kids who have been rescued are unharmed”, he added.
He claimed that medics and on-duty staff members had rushed to the rescue of the children “without taking any risks” with them.
” Kudos to them we could protect 39 children. They are the true champions”.
According to police director Gyanendra Kumar Singh, the flames most likely started in an air-conditioning device.
” All babies rescued are healthy and getting medical attention”, Singh told AFP.