Jhansi:

Two more infants rescued from a fire that ripped through the Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College here have died, taking the total toll in the fire to 17, a senior official said on Sunday.

Thirty-nine newborns were rescued from a devastating fire in the medical college hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit on the night of November 15.

Dr Narendra Singh Sengar, the medical college’s principal, told PTI that of the 39 infants rescued, two more died on Saturday.

While 10 babies died on the night of the fire, the remainder succumbed to their “illnesses”, he said.

A post-mortem of the two bodies was done on Saturday and the cause of death was confirmed as “illness” in both cases. The bodies have been handed over to the family members, Dr Sengar said.

The birth weight of both infants was 800 grams and one of them also had a hole in the heart, he added.

Meanwhile, Congress sources said on Sunday that the party’s state chief Ajay Rai and Barabanki MP Tanuj Punia would travel to Jhansi and visit the medical college. They will also meet the families whose babies died in the fire.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Lucknow/Jhansi:

Nurse Megha James was on duty when the fire broke out at the Jhansi hospital and she threw herself headlong into the rescue efforts, playing a hero’s role by saving several babies.

Even when her salwar got burned, she refused to give up and was able to evacuate 14-15 babies with others’ help.

“I had gone to take a syringe to give an injection to a child. When I came back, I saw that the (oxygen) concentrator had caught fire. I called the ward boy, who came with the fire extinguisher and tried to put it out. But by then, the fire had spread,” Megha James said.

Eleven babies died in a fire that broke out at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College in Jhansi Friday night.

Faced with an enormous blaze, Megha James’s mind worked with a frenetic speed, to the extent she cared little about burning herself.

“My chappal caught fire and I burned my foot. Then my salwar caught fire. I removed my salwar and discarded it. At that time, my mind was virtually not working,” she told PTI Videos.

Megha James just wore another salwar and went back to the rescue operation.

“There was a lot of smoke, and once the lights went out, we could not see anything. The entire staff brought out at least 14-15 children. There were 11 beds in the ward with 23-24 babies,” she said.

Had the lights not gone out they could have saved more children, Megha James said. “It all happened very suddenly. None of us had expected it.” Assistant Nursing Superintendent Nalini Sood praised Megha James’s valour and recounted bits from how the rescue operation was carried out.

“The hospital staff broke the glasses of the NICU ward to evacuate the babies. It was then Nurse Megha’s salwar caught fire. Instead of caring for her safety, she stayed there to rescue the babies and handed them over to people outside,” she said.

Nalini Sood said Megha James is currently undergoing treatment at the same medical college. She said she did not know the extent of her burns.

“The rescued babies were shifted to a ward very close to the NICU ward… When I recall the scene, I feel like crying,” she said.

Dr Anshul Jain, the head of the anaesthesiology department at the medical college, explained the standard rescue operation and claimed the hospital followed the protocol to the T.

“In the triage process during an ICU evacuation, the policy is to evacuate less-affected patients first. The rationale behind this approach is that patients requiring minimal support can be relocated quickly, enabling a larger number of evacuations to be completed in a shorter time.

“In contrast, patients on ventilators or requiring high oxygen support demand more time and resources for evacuation,” he said.

“This principle was successfully implemented in Jhansi, playing a significant role in saving many lives,” Dr Anshul Jain said.

A newborn rescued from the fire died due to illness on Sunday, Jhansi District Magistrate Avinash Kumar said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Lucknow:

A newborn rescued from a fire that engulfed a children’s ward at a government hospital in Jhansi died due to illness on Sunday, officials said.

With this, 11 newborns who were admitted to the NICU at Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College have died. Ten of them died after the fire broke out in the ward on Friday night.

One newborn who was shifted from NICU to PICU died during treatment for an illness. The boy did not sustain any burn injuries in the fire, Jhansi District Magistrate Avinash Kumar said.

“Till Saturday, the number of deaths was 10 and that of children undergoing treatment at the NICU in Jhansi Medical College was 38. None of these children is undergoing treatment for burn injuries. These children were rescued by the hospital staff,” he said.

“Among these 38 children, the condition of three was critical. Of these three newborns, one died on Sunday. However, he did not die due to burn injury,” he added.

Kumar told reporters that he inspected the hospital on Sunday and enquired about the well-being of the children admitted to the PICU. He also spoke to their family members.

“I have spoken to the doctors and the condition of the children is stated to be stable,” he said.

The DM further said that the bodies of the newborns who died in the fire have been handed over to their families.

“One child is with us and a family is claiming the child. We are doing a verification. No child is missing,” he said.

The Uttar Pradesh government on Saturday formed a four-member committee to investigate the hospital fire.

The committee has been tasked with identifying the cause of the fire and determining whether there was any negligence. The government has sought its report within seven days.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The fire at a hospital in Uttar Pradesh that killed 11 newborns, was entirely accidental and not deliberate, a two-member committee investigating the matter has found. There is no criminal conspiracy or negligence in the incident, due to which no FIR has been registered till now, sources said, quoting the findings of the two-member panel. 

The fire broke out around 10.45 pm on Friday in the neonatal wards of Jhansi’s Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College, one of the largest government hospitals in the state’s Bundelkhand region.

The committee of Jhansi Commissioner Vipul Dubey and DIG Range Kalanidhi Nathani – which was expected to file its report within 24 hours — found that the fire was caused by a short circuit in the switchboard and could not be brought under control as sprinklers were not installed in paediatrics ward. The doctors told the committee that water sprinklers are not installed in the NICU ward due to the presence of newborns, sources said.

At the time, six nurses and other staff and two doctors were present in the NICU ward. One of the nurses sustained burns on her legs while attempting to douse the fire. 

The fire from the switchboard had rapidly started spreading towards the oxygen concentrator when a paramedical staff and two others went in with fire extinguishers. But by then, the fire was beyond control, sources said, pointing to the findings of the committee. Within minutes though, fire tenders reached the spot. 

The detailed report of the investigation committee is expected soon. 

A four-member panel though, has been formed under the chairmanship of the Director General of Medical Education, Kinjal Singh, will look into how the short circuit happened and if the machines in the ward were overloaded, in which case it would count as massive negligence.

The four-member committee has been tasked with identifying the cause of the fire and determining whether any negligence was involved. It will also provide recommendations to prevent such incidents in the future. It is expected to submit its report within a week.

Jhansi/Lucknow:

Tragedy struck Jhansi, a city about 100 km from Gwalior, hours before Friday midnight as a massive fire engulfed a ward meant for infants at a government hospital. As the city now struggles to cope with its loss, visuals from the Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College paint a painful image of the grief-stricken parents.

A woman lay motionless on the land, too shocked to express her grief, as her relatives tried to console her. Beside her, a man struggled to hold up his grief-stricken wife and cried, “mera bachcha jal gaya (my child has been burnt)”.

Bhagwati, mother of an infant, recounted how she pulled a daring stunt to save her child from the burning war. “Everyone was screaming as the ward went up in flames. They were picking up the babies and handing them outside the windows. I ran inside, picked my baby, and came out,” she said.

Visuals last night showed men handing over the babies one by one across the window as a crowd gathered outside.

“No one came for our rescue,” said another woman.

At least 54 children were in the ward when a short-circuit possibly caused the fire. 44 of them could be rescued, officials confirmed this morning, stating that seven of the victims have been identified.

A senior official said early this morning at least 16 infants injured in the fire are still battling for life.

The parents of some of the injured children alleged they are not being allowed to meet their babies who are undergoing treatment, sparking a flash protest on the hospital premises. Sources suggest the parents were not allowed to meet their babies to avoid any confusion over their identities.

Political Blame Game

A bitter blame game has erupted over the fire incident with the opposition alleging negligence by the hospital administration. Samajwadi Party Akhilesh Yadav has suggested that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath must leave his election campaigns and focus on the health facilities in the state.

The Congress, too, has alleged the administration’s failure with the Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi calling for strict action against the guilty.

Yogi Adityanath, addressing a rally today, called it a tragic incident and expressed condolences to the victims’ families. The centre and the state have announced separate financial assistance for the victims’ families and the injured.

Jhansi/Lucknow:

At least 16 children are battling for their lives while 10 newborns died as a fire broke out last night at a hospital in Uttar Pradesh’s Jhansi. The fire erupted in the Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) around 10:45 pm, said District Magistrate (DM) Avinash Kumar, who confirmed the casualties.

A short-circuit inside the oxygen concentrator possibly caused the fire, said Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak.

At least 54 children were admitted to the NICU at that moment as officials swung into action and rescued 44 newborns. Seven of the 10 victims have been identified, said an official, adding that DNA tests will be carried out if needed to identify the rest three.

The government has announced financial aid for their families.

Visuals showed panic-struck patients and their caretakers outside the hospital and several charred medical equipment inside. A woman who lost her child told news agency ANI she couldn’t find her baby after the incident and was informed later the baby had died. 

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Jhansi Sudha Singh said early this morning that 16 children who suffered injuries are being treated at local hospitals and that efforts are on to save them. All doctors are available for them, along with adequate medical facilities, she said.

It is alleged that fire alarms at the hospital did not work, with sources suggesting a lack of maintenance of emergency systems.

Mr Pathak, who also holds the health portfolio, said the fire safety audit of the hospital was carried out in February, followed by a mock fire drill in June. “On how and why it happened, we can say something about it once the probe report comes,” said Mr Pathak.

He said there will be three levels of investigation into the fire – one each by the health department, the police, and a magisterial inquiry.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath last night ordered senior officials and doctors to conduct rescue operations on a war footing and asked for the deployment of adequate fire-fighting vehicles. He has announced Rs 5 lakh financial assistance for the families of the victims. Those who suffered serious injuries will get Rs 50,000 each.

The Chief Minister has also directed the Divisional Commissioner and the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Jhansi to submit a report within 12 hours.

President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi too have expressed grief over the fire tragedy.

“The news of the death of several newborn babies in the accident at Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College, Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh is extremely heartbreaking. May God give strength to the bereaved parents and families to bear this cruel blow. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured babies,” said President Murmu.

Calling the fire incident “heartbreaking”, PM Modi has announced Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund for the victims’ families and Rs 50,000 for the injured.

“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. The local administration, under the supervision of the state government, is making every possible effort for relief and rescue,” said the Prime Minister.

The opposition in Uttar Pradesh has alleged negligence by the hospital administration with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav demanding action against those responsible.

Ten children were killed in a fire that broke out at a hospital in Uttar Pradesh on Friday evening. The casualties may go up, said an official.

The fire, possibly due to a short circuit, broke out in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of the Maharani Laxmibai Medical College in Jhansi. Doctors and medical staff were seen evacuating patients by breaking the windows of the ward filled with smoke before fire brigade officials reached the spot.

“As per the staff present in the ward, the fire broke out around 10.35 pm. Thirty-seven children have been safely rescued. The fire broke out in one of the two units of the children’s ward possibly due to a short circuit. The children who were in the outer part of the NICU were rescued, along with some of those who were in the interior part. We have formed a committee to probe the cause of the fire. While most of the children were rescued, as per initial information, 10 children were killed in the accident,” said Avinash Kumar, district magistrate of Jhansi. Six fire engines are present at the spot, he added.

Visuals from outside the medical college showed panic-struck patients and their caretakers, even as a large number of police personnel aided rescue and relief measures. Inside the affected ward, several charred medical equipment were seen.

Heartbreaking visuals showed relatives wailing for the children who died in the accident. “My baby has burnt to death,” said a devastated woman who lost her child.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took note of the tragic accident and expressed his condolence to the families of the victims. “The death of children in an accident that occurred in the NICU of the medical college located in Jhansi district is extremely sad and heartbreaking. I pray to Lord Shri Ram to provide salvation to the departed souls and speedy recovery to the injured,” he wrote in a post on X.

Brajesh Pathak, the deputy chief minister and the minister of medical education of Uttar Pradesh, and the principal secretary of health have left for Jhansi to assess the ground situation.