In a heartbreaking incident, 10 newborns lost their lives after a fire broke out in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Jhansi Medical College in Uttar Pradesh on Friday night. The fire, reportedly caused by an electrical short circuit, spread through the children’s ward where the infants were in incubators at the time of the tragedy. Authorities successfully rescued 32 other children from the ward, but the incident has left families in grief and shock.
ADG Zone Kanpur, Alok Singh, confirmed that the fire resulted from an electrical short circuit. “The children who died were in incubators at the time,” he said, highlighting the vulnerability of the infants caught in the blaze. The tragic event has drawn attention to safety protocols in medical facilities and the urgent need to address such potential hazards.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed deep condolences to the families of the victims and took immediate steps to address the situation. He directed officials to expedite rescue efforts and ensure proper medical care for the injured children. In a statement on social media platform X, CM Yogi said, “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. The district administration and concerned officials have been instructed to carry out relief and rescue operations on a war footing. I pray to Lord Shri Ram to provide salvation to the departed souls and speedy recovery to the injured.”
Following the chief minister’s orders, Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak and the Principal Secretary for Health were immediately sent to Jhansi to oversee the situation on the ground. CM Yogi also instructed the Commissioner and DIG to conduct a thorough investigation and submit a detailed report on the incident within 12 hours.
The fire has raised serious concerns about the safety infrastructure in medical facilities, particularly in critical units such as NICUs. Authorities are now under pressure to implement stricter safety measures to prevent such devastating incidents in the future.