Bhopal hospital fire: State minister Vishwas Sarang visited the hospital to check the situation
Highlights
- The fire started in a ward on the third floor, said an official
- Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan termed the incident as "very sad"
- He said a high-level probe into the incident has been ordered
Four newborns died on Monday night in a fire that broke out at a government hospital in Madhya Pradesh's Bhopal.
The fire swept through a special unit of the Kamala Nehru Children's Hospital. "Four children died in the fire that broke out in the special newborn care unit (SNCU) ward probably due to a short circuit. We reached the spot along with others soon after getting information about the incident. It was dark inside the ward. We shifted the children to the adjacent ward," State Medical Education Minister Vishwas Sarang said.
The blaze started in the ward on the third-floor of the hospital, which has the ICU, at around 9 pm and 8-10 fire enginers were rushed to the site, said Fatehgarh Fire Station in-charge Juber Khan.
Visuals from the hospital showed shocked parents breaking down on the stairs after escaping from the ward as the rescue operation started. The other babies were shifted to different wards
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, condoling the deaths, said the incident was "very sad".
"We were unable to save three children who were already seriously injured in the fire incident which is very painful. The rescue operation was swift and the blaze is under control, now but unfortunately the lives of three children could not be saved," Mr Chouhan had tweeted earlier. Another death was reported later.
"A high-level probe into the incident has been ordered. The probe will be conducted by additional chief secretary (ACS) health and medical education, Mohammad Suleiman," the Chief Minister said in another tweet. He has announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh for the family members of the victims.
The hospital had not applied for a fire safety no-objection certificate, officials said, adding that safety equipment was also not functioning.
"Kamala Nehru hospital never applied for NOC. Our team found the equipment were outdated," said KS Parihar, Additional Commissioner, Fire Safety, Bhopal Municipal Corporation.
Calling the incident as "very painful", former Chief Minister and Congress leader Kamal Nath demanded "a high-level probe" into the incident and stern action against those responsible for it.
(With inputs from agencies)