Jhansi, 16th November 2024: Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences on Saturday morning following the tragic fire at the Jhansi hospital, where 10 newborn babies lost their lives in the children’s ward. The prime minister reassured that the local administration, with the support of the Uttar Pradesh government, is working tirelessly on relief and rescue efforts.
The deadly fire, which occurred late on Friday night, took the lives of 10 newborns due to burns and suffocation in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of Maharani Laxmibai Medical College.
Deputy Chief Minister Brijesh Pathak, who arrived in Jhansi on Saturday, confirmed that 49 children were present in the ward, despite it only having a capacity for 18 beds. While seven of the deceased have been identified, efforts are still underway to identify the remaining three, Pathak added.
In a post on X, the Prime Minister’s Office shared a statement from PM Modi, saying, “The fire accident at Jhansi Medical College in Uttar Pradesh is heartbreaking. My deepest condolences to the families who lost their innocent children. I pray for their strength to cope with this immense loss.” The prime minister also assured that the local authorities, under state government oversight, are doing everything possible for relief and rescue operations.
In response to the incident, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister’s Office announced a financial aid of ₹5 lakh for the families of the deceased babies and ₹50,000 for those with injured children. CM Yogi Adityanath also directed the Divisional Commissioner and DIG of Jhansi to submit a detailed report on the incident within 12 hours.
Authorities suspect that a short circuit in an oxygen concentrator triggered the fire, which spread rapidly due to the highly oxygenated environment of the NICU. Multiple investigations are underway to determine the exact cause of the fire and assess accountability. The Samajwadi Party, however, claimed that a short circuit had occurred earlier on Friday afternoon, but was ignored by the hospital staff.