In a devastating incident late Friday night, a fire in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Maharani Laxmibai Medical College in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, resulted in the tragic loss of 10 newborns. Jhansi District Magistrate Avinash Kumar confirmed the fatalities, which occurred as the fire reportedly ignited from an oxygen concentrator within the NICU, where over 50 infants were under critical care.
Witnesses described a loud explosion followed by chaos as smoke billowed from the Special Neonatal Care Unit (SNCU). Medical staff rushed to save the infants, but the fire quickly engulfed the room, reducing vital equipment to ashes. While 39 children were successfully rescued, the bodies of the deceased were recovered one by one.
In the wake of the tragedy, UP Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak visited the site early Saturday, prompting immediate investigations into the incident. The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister’s office announced financial compensation of Rs 5 lakh for each family affected by the loss, along with Rs 50,000 for families of injured infants.
Opposition leader Akhilesh Yadav from the Samajwadi Party expressed his condolences and slammed the state government, urging Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to prioritize healthcare over election campaigning. Yadav called for increased compensation of Rs 1 crore for the families who lost children.
Deputy Chief Minister Pathak detailed a multi-tiered investigation process, involving the health department, police, and fire safety officials. A magistrate-level inquiry has also been ordered to uncover the causes and any lapses that led to the tragedy. “The reasons will be revealed to the people of the state,” Pathak assured, emphasizing transparency in the investigation.
Chief Medical Superintendent Sachin Mahor stated that the fire was sparked by a malfunctioning oxygen concentrator, which rapidly spread due to the high oxygen levels in the NICU. He said that while many infants were evacuated, the fire ultimately resulted in the loss of 10 lives.
Jhansi District Magistrate Avinash Kumar later said that the blaze likely began between 10:30 and 10:45 p.m. due to an electrical short circuit, and a committee led by the Commissioner and Deputy Inspector General will compile a comprehensive report for the Chief Minister upon completion of their investigation.
Eyewitnesses recounted scenes of panic and desperation as staff and families scrambled to save as many newborns as possible. One witness described a frantic effort to break through the NICU’s safety netting to rescue trapped infants, revealing the emotional toll on families as they searched for their loved ones.
Another witness, Kripal Singh Rajput, recounted the chaos as a nurse entered the NICU with her clothes partially aflame, alerting him to the danger. “We took out about 20 children safely and handed them over to the staff,” he recalled, expressing frustration over the potential role of overheated machines in the tragedy.
Families rushed to the emergency ward, uncertain of their children’s fates, and one man whose newborn is missing lamented the situation, stating, “I cannot locate my son due to the doctors’ negligence. No one was allowed inside; everyone had to stay outside.”
Rani Sen, the aunt of one of the affected infants, expressed her anguish and confusion over the ordeal. “They instructed us to go in and retrieve our children, but by that time, many had already lost their lives,” she said. She raised concerns about the hospital’s identification process, insisting on the need for DNA tests to confirm her baby’s fate. “If the tags were burned or misplaced, how can they determine which child is mine? I even found a baby who wasn’t mine and admitted him under my name,” she revealed.
