Jhansi medical college fire: Death toll rises to 12 as another child succumbs

PTI, Nov 18, 2024, 7:03 PM IST

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Jhansi (UP): Another child among the 39 rescued from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) fire at Jhansi’s Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College succumbed on Monday, raising the death toll to 12, officials said.

Now 37 more newborns, who were rescued after the fire on Friday night, are undergoing treatment, a senior officer of the medical college said.

“Of the 39 children rescued from the NICU fire on Friday night, one more has died. The child was admitted in a critical condition,” Dr. Narendra Singh Sengar, the Principal of Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College, told PTI.

Dr. Sengar recounted that the fire broke out unexpectedly in the NICU late Friday night, where 49 children were being treated. While 39 children were saved, 10 had tragically died due to suffocation or burns.

He added, “One of the rescued children passed away on Sunday morning, and another, the child of Jalaun resident Vishal and his wife Muskan, died on Monday during treatment due to illness. This brings the total fatalities to 12, while 37 children are still under treatment.” Dr. Sengar also said that the Director-General of Health and Medical Services, along with his team, visited the medical college on Monday to investigate the incident. The inspection included a thorough review of the fire-affected NICU.

When asked about the extent of the damages, Dr. Sengar said, “It is currently very difficult to estimate the total losses caused by the fire.” The fire, which broke out in the NICU of one of the major medical facilities in the Bundelkhand region of UP, has sparked concerns over safety protocols in healthcare institutions. The investigation into the cause of the fire and accountability for the tragedy is ongoing.

The Uttar Pradesh government had on Saturday formed a four-member committee to investigate the hospital fire. The panel has been tasked with identifying the cause of the fire and determining whether there was any negligence. The government has sought its report within seven days.