At least six newborn babies have died after a massive fire broke out at a children’s hospital in the Indian capital, Delhi, late Saturday while rescue efforts continued.
In a statement, senior police officer Surendra Choudhary revealed that 12 babies were rescued from the fire but when they reached medical attention, six were dead.
“Legal action is being taken against the owner of the hospital,” Choudhary said without giving further details on how the children died.
Additionally, another baby among the 12 that were rescued from the suffocating fumes was dead before the fire began, Choudhary said, without elaborating further, AFP reported.
The fire broke out in the New Born Baby Care hospital in Delhi’s Vivek Vihar area.
Delhi Fire Department Director Atul Garg said 14 fire trucks were sent to battle the blaze, he told the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency.
“The fire spread too fast due to a blast in an oxygen cylinder,” he told PTI.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal called the situation “heartbreaking”.
“We all stand with those who lost their innocent children in this accident,” he said on social media. “The causes of the incident are being investigated, and whoever is responsible for this negligence will not be spared.”
The horrifying incident occurred on same day as another fire that swept through a game zone in Rajkot, Gujarat, killing at least 27 people including several children.
