Jhansi hospital fire: UP govt orders three-tier probe, announces ex gratia for affected kin

An ex gratia of ₹5 lakh has been announced for parents of each of the deceased babies and ₹50,000 for each of the injured babies' families.

The Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government on Saturday ordered a three-tier probe into the massive fire that killed ten newborn babies at Jhansi's Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College late on Friday.

The fire, which broke out at the NICU ward, is said to be caused by a short circuit. (PTI)

The state government also announced an ex gratia of ₹5 lakh to the parents of each of the deceased babies and ₹50,000 to families of each injured.

Of the ten deceased babies, seven have been identified and the process to identify the rest three is still underway, with parents and relatives seeking answers from authorities over the incident.

Avinash Kumar, the Jhansi District Magistrate, said that the fire broke out around 10:45 pm on Friday in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of the facility, which is one of the largest government hospitals in UP's Bundelkhand region. He said that the fire erupted due to possible electrical short circuit, PTI reported.

Three-tier probe ordered

While a three-tier probe has been ordered into the incident, CM Yogi has also directed the Divisional Commissioner of Jhansi and the deputy inspector general of police to submit a report within 12 hours.

A statement from the state government said that as soon as the CM found out about the incident, he sent deputy CM Brajesh Pathak and the principal health secretary to the medical facility.

Pathak told PTI on Saturday that strict action would be taken against those found guilty. Further, in a post on X, he said, "Instructions have been given for a three-tier investigation into the unfortunate fire accident that occurred in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (SNCU Ward) of Maharani Laxmibai Medical College, Jhansi."

He added that a magisterial inquiry has also been ordered into the incident.

Speaking to reporters, the deputy CM also noted that efforts are underway to identify the remaining newborn babies who lost their lives in the tragic incident. "We will found out the reasons behind the incident and whose negligence led to it. The first challenge is to give quality treatment to the injured children," he said.

Expired fire extinguishers

According to an India Today report, expired fire extinguishers were found at the NICU of the Jhansi hospital. It said that as per a preliminary probe, the filing date on the fire extinguisher cylinders was 2019 and expiration date for the same was 2020.

Reportedly the safety alarms also did not go off, which led to a delayed evacuation at the ward.

UP govt announces ex gratia

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath condoled the incident and announced an ex gratia of ₹5 lakh each to the parents of the newborns who died in the incident and ₹50,000 to the family of each of the injured from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund, a statement from his office said.

Meanwhile, addressing an election rally at Prayagraj's Phulpur, Adityanath said, "To ensure that other children were rescued, we were up all night coordinating (with officials) for relief and rescue efforts," adding that "My heart goes out to those who lost their children."

16 babies undergoing treatment

Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak, who also holds the health portfolio of the state, told PTI that 16 babies are undergoing treatment in other wards of the medical college. "The children, who were three to four days old, have been kept on a warmer," he added.

Dr Narendra Sengar, principal of Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College, said that 16 children, who did not suffer any burn injury or suffocation, were admitted to the NICU ward for treatment of other diseases. He said that they are being attended to at the district hospital.

It was also reportedly said that after the fire broke out at the NICU, some parents took their children. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Sudha Singh told reporters that cops are trying to verify the tally of the babies who were in the NICU and find out their current status.

"The medical college has informed that 52 to 54 children were admitted at the time of the incident. While 10 of them died, 16 are undergoing treatment. Verification for others is ongoing," she added.

PM Modi condoles 'heartbreaking' incident

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences over the unfortunate incident. In an X post from the PM's Office, he 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."

“The local administration, under the supervision of the state government, is making every possible effort for relief and rescue,” the prime minister added.