10 children have died in a fire at a hospital in Uttar Pradesh, India. The death toll is expected to rise.
The incident took place on Friday (November 15) night at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Maharani Laxmibai Medical College in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh.
It is initially believed that the fire broke out due to a short circuit.
This information was published in an online report by Indian broadcaster NDTV.
The report said that a fire broke out due to a short circuit at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Maharani Laxmibai Medical College in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh on Friday night. Before the fire service personnel reached the spot, the doctors and staff patients were evacuated by breaking the windows of the ward.
The hospital authorities said that the fire broke out around 10:35 pm. 37 children have been rescued safely. The fire broke out due to a short circuit in one of the two units of the children's ward. A committee has been formed to investigate the cause of the fire.
In the heartbreaking videos, relatives of the deceased children were seen crying profusely. One of them is crying and saying, "My child has died in the fire." Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased and said, "The death of children in the accident that took place in the NICU of a medical college in Jhansi district is very sad and heartbreaking. I pray for the salvation of the souls of the deceased and the speedy recovery of the injured." Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister Brajesh Pathak and the Principal Secretary of Health have left for Jhansi to monitor the situation.