UP hospital blaze: 10 children dead, 16 battle for life after fire breaks out at Jhansi medical college

At least 10 children died in a blaze in the children’s ward of a medical college in Uttar Pradesh’s Jhansi district, while 16 other injured are battling for life. 

District Magistrate (DM) Avinash Kumar said the fire broke out around 10.45 pm on November 15 in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College, possibly from an electrical short circuit. 

The children, who were in the outer part of the NICU were rescued, along with some of those who were in the interior part. “Prima facie there is information of the death of 10 children,” the DM said. 

Divisional Commissioner Jhansi Bimal Kumar Dubey said there were about 30 children in the interior section of the NICU and most of them were rescued. 

Sudha Singh, Senior Superintendent of Police, Jhansi said another 16 children who suffered injuries were undergoing treatment. There were over 50 children admitted in the NICU when the incident took place. She also agreed with the DM on the possible electrical short circuit behind the blaze. 

Purported visuals from the medical college showed panic-struck patients and their caretakers being evacuated, even as several police personnel aided rescue and relief measures. 

Expired fire extinguishers were found at the NICU of the hospital, while the safety alarms also did not go off, delaying evacuation, according to an India Today report. 

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took cognisance of the incident and directed officials of the district administration to ensure proper treatment to the injured. 

“The death of children in an accident that took place in the NICU of the medical college located in Jhansi district is extremely sad and heartbreaking. District administration and concerned officials have been instructed to conduct relief and rescue operations on a war footing,” he wrote on X (formally twitter). He also wished for the speedy recovery of the injured. 

The CM directed Divisional Commissioner Bimal Kumar Dubey and Deputy Inspector General (Jhansi police range) Kalanidhi Naithani to submit a report on the matter within 12 hours. 

Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak, who also holds the health portfolio, said he was enroute to Jhansi. He said the incident was extremely said and heartbreaking. 

The district police chief said while 10 children died and others were either rescued or found injured, there were also inputs that some parents took their kids home after the fire erupted in the NICU. She said the police were making efforts to verify the tally of the children, who were in the NICU and their current status. 

“The medical college has informed that 52 to 54 children were admitted at the time of the incident. 10 of them have died, 16 are undergoing treatment while verification for others is ongoing,” SSP Singh said. The rescue operation in the NICU has been completed, she added. 

Compensations

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the death of children and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs 50,000, the PMO said. 

“Heartbreaking! The fire accident at Jhansi Medical College in Uttar Pradesh is heart-wrenching. My deepest condolences to those who lost their innocent children in this. I pray to God to give them the strength to bear this immense loss,” Modi was quoted as saying in a post on X by the PMO. 

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has announced assistance of Rs 5 lakh each to the parents of the newborn babies, who died in the incident, and Rs 50,000 each to the family members of the injured from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund, the Uttar Pradesh government said in a statement. 

(With inputs from PTI)