A fire in the neonatal intensive care unit of a hospital in northern India has claimed the lives of ten newborns due to burns and suffocation, Reuters reports.
The fire broke out late Friday night at Maharani Laxmibai Medical College in the Jhansi district, about 280 kilometers southwest of Lucknow, the administrative center of Uttar Pradesh.
According to Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, hospital staff managed to rescue 38 newborns from the burning ward, which housed 49 infants at the time of the incident.
Pathak added that 17 affected infants are currently receiving treatment in various public and some private hospitals. He noted that seven of the deceased newborns have been identified, while specialists are working to identify the remaining three. Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire.
