Jhansi (UP), 16 Nov

At least 10 children died in a fire that engulfed the children's ward of a medical college in Uttar Pradesh's Jhansi district, officials said, as 16 others injured battled for life on Saturday.

District Magistrate (DM) Avinash Kumar told reporters that the fire broke out around 10.45 pm on Friday in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of the Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College, possibly due to an electrical short circuit.

The children who were in the outer part of the NICU were rescued, along with some of those who were in the interior part. "Prima facie there is information of the death of 10 children," the DM said.

Those less critical are admitted in the outer section of the NICU while the more critical patients are kept in the interior part, Kumar said.

Divisional Commissioner Jhansi Bimal Kumar Dubey, who reached the hospital around midnight, told reporters that there were about 30 children in the interior section of the NICU and most of them were rescued.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Jhansi Sudha Singh on Saturday said another 16 children who suffered injuries in the episode were undergoing treatment. There were over 50 children admitted in the NICU when the incident took place.

A fire brigade was rushed to the spot while senior officers of the district also reached the medical college, Jhansi police said in a brief statement on social media.

A couple hailing from nearby Mahoba district grieved the demise of their newborn child. The mother told reporters that the child was born on November 13 at 8 am. "My child has been killed in fire," the inconsolable mother told reporters.

Purported visuals from the medical college showed panic-struck patients and their caretakers being evacuated, even as several police personnel aided rescue and relief measures.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took cognisance of the incident and directed officials of the district administration to ensure proper treatment to the injured, according to a statement issued in Lucknow.

"The death of children in an accident that took place in the NICU of the medical college located in Jhansi district is extremely sad and heartbreaking. District administration and concerned officials have been instructed to conduct relief and rescue operations on a war footing," he posted in Hindi on X. He also wished for the speedy recovery of the injured. The chief minister directed the district administration officials and the fire brigade vehicles to reach the spot and expedite the relief work.

Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, who also holds the health portfolio, said on X he was en route to Jhansi. He said the incident was extremely said and heartbreaking.

The state's principal secretary of health was accompanying Pathak on the directions of Adityanath, an official statement said.

Adityanath directed Divisional Commissioner Bimal Kumar Dubey and Deputy Inspector General (Jhansi police range) Kalanidhi Naithani to submit a report on the matter within 12 hours, the statement added. "I am extremely pained by this incident," Jhansi Lok Sabha MP Anurag Sharma told a news channel, adding that he was out of station at the moment.

Sadar MLA Ravi Sharma also reached the hospital shortly after the incident.

In the early hours of Saturday, SSP Sudha Singh told reporters that the 16 injured children are being treated and efforts are underway to save their lives. All the doctors are available for them, along with adequate medical facilities, she said.

On the cause of the incident, the SSP reiterated the DM's remarks, saying prima facie the fire appears to have been triggered by a short circuit. "However, a detailed investigation has been launched to ascertain under what conditions or due to whose laxity this happened," Singh said.

The district police chief said while 10 children died and others were either rescued or found injured, there were also inputs that some parents took their kids home after the fire erupted in the NICU.

She said the police were making efforts to verify the tally of the children who were in the NICU and their current status. "The medical college has informed that 52 to 54 children were admitted at the time of the incident. 10 of them have died, 16 are undergoing treatment while verification for others is ongoing," Singh said.

The rescue operation in the NICU has been completed, she said around 1 am. The state-run medical college started services in 1968 and is one of the largest government hospitals in the Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh.Kolkata is gearing up for Kali Puja