Jhansi (Uttar Pradesh) [India], November 16 : Chief Medical Superintendent Sachin Mahor on Saturday said that the identification of three babies out of the ten claimed by the fire at Jhansi's Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) is still underway.
Mahor also confirmed that the fire, caused by a short circuit, broke out between 10:30 and 10:45 pm. Of the 49 babies in the NICU, 39 were rescued and are stable,
"There were 49 babies in the NICU. 39 were rescued and 10 babies died. As of now, all the rescued babies are stable. The bodies of 3 babies are yet to be identified, and the process of identifying them is underway so that the bodies can be handed over to their parents," Mahor told ANI.
The fire, believed to have started due to a short circuit in an oxygen concentrator, spread quickly in the oxygen-rich environment of the NICU, where over 50 newborns were being treated.
The blaze engulfed the ward, and while 39 babies were rescued, many families are still uncertain about the fate of their children.
In response to the tragedy, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his grief calling it "heart-wrenching" in a tweet on X (formerly Twitter).
He said, "The fire accident at Jhansi Medical College in Uttar Pradesh is heart-wrenching. My deepest condolences to those who have lost their innocent children in this. I pray to God to give them the strength to bear this tremendous loss. The local administration, under the supervision of the state government, is making every possible effort for relief and rescue."
To support the affected families, Prime Minister Modi announced an ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for each deceased child. The injured families will receive Rs. 50,000 each.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also expressed his condolences and announced a financial aid of Rs. 5 lakh each to the parents of the newborns who died in the incident. Additionally, CM Yogi Adityanath directed local authorities, including the Divisional Commissioner and Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) of Jhansi, to submit a report on the incident within 12 hours. The UP government has also pledged Rs. 50,000 to the families of the injured from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund.
The tragedy has left grieving families seeking answers, as many of them search for their missing children.