Amravati: 3 newborns die in fire at district hospital
What's the story
A devastating fire broke out in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the District Women's Hospital in Amravati, Maharashtra, on Monday morning. The incident occurred around 3:30am on the third floor of the hospital, News18 reported. Preliminary reports suggest that a ventilator explosion or short circuit may have triggered the blaze. Three newborns died due to severe burn injuries sustained during this unfortunate event.
Rescue efforts
39 babies were admitted; 6 shifted to another hospital
When the fire broke out, there were 39 newborns admitted to the NICU.
Hospital staff, including doctors and nurses, immediately swung into action to evacuate the infants from danger.
Several babies were successfully moved out of harm's way as the rescue operation continued.
Six critically injured newborns were later shifted to a Super Speciality Hospital for advanced medical care.
Ongoing probe
Probe launched into incident
The hospital administration has launched an investigation into the incident. Authorities are likely to probe the NICU's equipment and electrical systems to find out how the fire started.
Although preliminary information points toward a ventilator-related incident as the possible cause, officials are yet to confirm this.
The inquiry will also look into whether all necessary fire-safety measures were in place during this tragic event.
Recent fire
Similar incident in Madhya Pradesh earlier this month
This incident comes on the heels of a similar case from Madhya Pradesh earlier this month.
On August 22, a fire broke out in the NICU of a district hospital in Chhindwara, killing one newborn and injuring two others.
The blaze was allegedly sparked by sparks from a warmer machine's filament.
Hospital staff managed to extinguish the fire using firefighting equipment, and an inquiry was launched to investigate its cause.