Four Newborn Babies Killed In Hospital Fire, 36 Others Rescued

Four newborn babies have died after a fire broke out at a children’s hospital in India, officials said.

The blaze swept through the neonatal unit at the Kamla Nehru Children’s Hospital in Bhopal, which is in the Madhya Pradesh state in central India.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan has ordered an investigation after the incident on Monday night, November 8. He announced a compensation of 400,000 rupees ($5,400) for the family of the victims.

“The untimely departure [death] of children from the world is an unbearable pain,” Chauhan said on Twitter, offering his condolences to the families affected.

At least 40 children were in the unit, out of which 36 were rescued, medical education minister Vishwas Sarang said.

He said he arrived at the hospital within 10 minutes after the incident.

While an inquiry is still ongoing, authorities told the Press Trust of India that a short circuit may have caused the fire.

Hospital fires have killed at least 70 people in India this year, including 11 last weekend in the COVID-19 care unit of a hospital in Maharashtra, a state neighboring Madhya Pradesh.