LUCKNOW, INDIA – In a heart-wrenching incident, a fire erupted in the neonatal intensive care unit of a hospital in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, late Friday night, claiming the lives of 10 newborns and injuring 16 others. The blaze, which spread with alarming speed, set off a frantic rescue operation to save the 55 infants who were in the ward at the time.
Authorities managed to rescue 45 babies, now under medical care, but the tragedy has highlighted severe lapses in safety protocols. Bimal Kumar Dubey, a local official, acknowledged the delays caused by expired fire equipment and silent alarms, which hindered the rescue efforts. An investigation is actively underway to uncover the fire’s origins and identify those accountable for the safety failures.
In the aftermath, Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak visited the hospital, offering condolences to the grieving families and promising government support. “We will leave no stone unturned in our investigation and ensure justice is served,” Pathak assured, emphasizing the government’s commitment to standing by the affected families.
The process of DNA identification is ongoing to reunite the infants’ bodies with their families. Eyewitnesses described the chaos as rescuers battled against time, breaking windows to access the engulfed ward. The fire had already consumed much of the neonatal unit by the time firefighters arrived, complicating rescue efforts.
Praminder Singh Chandel, a paramedic, detailed the challenges faced, noting that the ward’s layout meant that infants closest to the entrance suffered the worst. Many of these infants did not survive the severe burns inflicted by the fire.
Outside the hospital, distraught families gathered, demanding explanations and accountability for the perceived negligence. Although fire alarms were installed in the ward, they reportedly failed to function, delaying the response and exacerbating the tragedy.
Naresh Kumar, a parent who lost his child, expressed his anguish, stating, “A functioning alarm could have saved more lives.” Akhtar Hussain, whose child was rescued, echoed the call for better safety measures, stressing the preventable nature of the disaster.
Officials noted that the hospital’s fire safety systems had been inspected earlier in the year, yet such incidents remain alarmingly common in India due to lax enforcement of building codes and inadequate safety practices, resulting in repeated tragedies.