Fire incident at Jhansi Medical College.
Ten children were killed and 16 injured in a fire in the children’s ward of Maharani Laxmibai Medical College in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, on Friday night. District Magistrate (DM) Avinash Kumar said a fire broke out in the NICU of Maharani Lakshmi Bai Medical College around 10.45 pm on Friday night. The children who were outside the NICU were saved.
DM said that 10 children have been reported dead so far. Avinash Kumar said less severe patients are admitted in the outer part of the NICU, while more severe patients remain in the inner part.
16 children are in treatment
Commissioner Jhansi Bimal Kumar Dubey, who reached the hospital around midnight, said there were around 30 babies inside the NICU and most of them were saved. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Jhansi Sudha Singh on Saturday said that 16 more children injured in the incident are receiving treatment. At the time of the incident, more than 50 children were admitted to the NICU.
Jhansi police, in a brief statement on social media, said a fire brigade has been sent to the spot, while senior district officials also reached the medical college. A couple living in the nearby Mahoba district said the child was born at 8am on November 13. The heartbroken mother said her son died in the fire.
CM Yogi expressed regret
According to a statement issued in Lucknow, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took cognizance of the incident and directed officials of the district administration to ensure proper treatment of the injured. He posted that the death of children in an accident 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. He also wished the injured a speedy recovery. The Chief Minister directed district administration officials and fire brigade vehicles to reach the spot and speed up relief work.
Brajesh Pathak arrived in Jhansi
Meanwhile, on the instructions of Chief Minister Yogi, Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak reached Jhansi. Here he said a fire safety audit was conducted in February. A mock drill was also held in June. How and why this incident occurred can only be said after the investigation report arrives. The bodies of 7 newborns have been identified, 3 bodies have not yet been identified. Financial assistance will be provided to families of newborn babies.
#LOOK Jhansi Medical College fire tragedy UP Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak says, “In February, the fire safety audit was done. A drill was also held in June. How this incident occurred and why it happened, we will only be able to say something about it once the investigation report arrives…7 pic.twitter.com/KTQe1Y5Sc3
— AIN (@ANI) November 16, 2024
State Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, who is in-charge of the medical and health department, said in a Twitter post that the death of several newborns in the unfortunate fire accident in the NICU of Maharani Laxmibai Medical College, Jhansi, is extremely sad and heartbreaking. Brajesh Pathak said that instructions have been given to the district administration and concerned officials to carry out relief and rescue operations on a war footing. It is a prayer to Lord Shri Ram to grant peace to the virtuous souls and speedy recovery to the injured.
High-level investigation order into the incident
Brajesh Pathak said orders have been given to conduct a high-level inquiry into the incident. In each situation the cause of the incident will be discovered. If there has been negligence, measures will be taken.
Instructions for submitting the report within 12 hours.
The statement said CM Yogi directed Commissioner Bimal Kumar Dubey and Deputy Inspector General (Jhansi Police Camp) Kalanidhi Naithani to submit a report in the matter within 12 hours. Jhansi Lok Sabha MP Anurag Sharma said that I am very saddened by this incident. He said he is currently outside the station. After some time of the incident, Sadar MLA Ravi Sharma also reached the hospital.
fire caused by short circuit
BJP MLA Rajeev Singh Paricha said that this is a very sad and unfortunate incident. In the fire, 10 newborns died and about 35 newborns were saved. Doctors provide the best treatment to injured newborns. They are in contact with the doctors at the medical school. Prima facie the cause of the fire appears to be a short circuit.
In the early hours of Saturday, SSP Sudha Singh said 16 injured children were being treated and efforts were being made to save their lives. He said all doctors and proper medical facilities are available to them. Reiterating the DM’s comment on the cause of the incident, the SSP said that prima facie the fire appears to have been caused by a short circuit.
Major fire accident in NICU
SSP Sudha Singh said that, however, an investigation has been launched to ascertain under what circumstances or due to whose laxity this occurred. The district police chief said 10 children died and others were rescued or found injured, adding that there were also reports that some parents took their children home after the NICU fire. He said police are trying to verify the number of children admitted to the NICU and their current condition.
He said the Medical College has reported that between 52 and 54 children were admitted at the time of the incident. Of them, 10 died, 16 are undergoing treatment and the rest are in the verification process. He said that around 1 am, the rescue operation in the NICU was completed. The Government Medical College started its services in 1968 and is one of the largest government hospitals in the Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh.
