At least 10 newborns have died in a fire at a hospital in northern India after a fire broke out in the neonatal ward.
Chaos and panic ensued as the fire spread, relatives of the infants have told local media, with parents breaking windows to enter the ward, scrambling to reach their children.
A grieving grandmother told ANI news agency that the nurses were pushing people out, but those who managed to get in grabbed any child they could.
Authorities say staff at the hospital in Jhansi district in Uttar Pradesh state were able to rescue 44 infants, but at least 16 are in critical condition.
Three of the ten babies who died have yet to be identified, leaving some parents unsure about what happened to their children.
Local officials believe an electrical short circuit or another fault in a machine used to increase the level of oxygen in the ward caused the fire.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted a message online calling the deaths "heart-wrenching".
He says his deepest condolences to those who have lost their innocent children in this and pray to God to give them the strength to bear this immense loss.
This is the second prominent hospital fire in India in six months where newborns have been killed.
In May, six babies were killed in a fire at a private neonatal facility in Delhi.
Source:BBC
