Hospital fire: Rahul Gandhi urges Maharashtra govt to provide all assistance to affected families

Mumbai, Jan 09: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Saturday condoled the death of newborn babies in the Maharashtra hospital fire and appealed to the state government to provide all possible assistance to the families of the deceased and the injured.

Ten newborns died after the fire broke out in the Special Newborn Care Unit of a hospital in Maharashtra's Bhandara district in the early hours of Saturday, doctors said. The babies were aged between a month and three months, according to a doctor.

District civil surgeon Pramod Khandate said there were 17 babies in the unit of whom seven could be rescued. "The unfortunate incident of fire at Bhandara District General Hospital in Maharashtra is extremely tragic. My condolences to the families of the children who lost their lives," Gandhi said in a tweet.

"I appeal to Maha Govt to provide every possible assistance to the families of the injured & deceased," he said. The Maharashtra government is led by the Shiv Sena with the NCP and the Congress part of the ruling dispensation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also took to Twitter and expressed grief over the fire incident at Bhandara District General Hospital in Maharashtra. "Heart-wrenching tragedy in Bhandara, Maharashtra, where we have lost precious young lives," he said.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday expressed grief over the death of newborn babies in the fire at the Bhandara district hospital and ordered a probe. Ten newborn babies died after fire broke out in the Special Newborn Care Unit of the hospital in the east Maharashtra city in the wee hours on Saturday, doctors said.

The infants were aged between a month and three months, a doctor said. Thackeray spoke to Health Minister Rajesh Tope soon after learning about the incident which occurred in the child care unit in the hospital, as per a statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office.

"The chief Minister has ordered a probe in the entire incident. He spoke to the district collector and police superintendent and asked them to probe the fire," the statement said.

Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope announced an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakhs each to the kin of the deceased in the fire incident at Bhandara District General Hospital. As many as ten newborn babies died while 7 were rescued after a fire broke out at a hospital in Maharashtra's Bhandara.

As many as ten newborn babies died after a fire broke out at a hospital in Maharashtra. According to reports, the fire was reported in the Special Newborn Care Unit of a hospital, in the wee hours on Saturday.

"All the infants were between a month and three months old," a doctor said. The fire broke out in the Bhandara district hospital at around 2 am, he said.

There were 17 babies in the unit and seven were rescued, he added.

Another doctor said a nurse first noticed smoke coming out from the neonatal section of the hospital and alerted doctors and other staff who reached there in five minutes.

Fire brigade personnel rescued seven babies from the 'inbound ward' of the unit but could not save the 10 other babies, he said.

The cause of the fire in the four-storeyed building is not known but could have been the result of an electrical short circuit, he said.
as many as ten newborn babies died after a fire broke out at a hospital in Maharashtra. According to reports, the fire was reported in the Special Newborn Care Unit of a hospital, in the wee hours on Saturday.

"All the infants were between a month and three months old," a doctor said. The fire broke out in the Bhandara district hospital at around 2 am, he said.

There were 17 babies in the unit and seven were rescued, he added.

Another doctor said a nurse first noticed smoke coming out from the neonatal section of the hospital and alerted doctors and other staff who reached there in five minutes.

Fire brigade personnel rescued seven babies from the 'inbound ward' of the unit but could not save the 10 other babies, he said. The cause of the fire in the four-storeyed building is not known but could have been the result of an electrical short circuit, he said.