Amravati, 24 August

In a tragic incident, three newborns lost their lives after a blaze erupted in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of a government hospital in Maharashtra’s Amravati city early on Monday, officials said.

As many as 36 other newborns were rescued after the incident, which occurred at the District Women's Hospital, Amravati Police Commissioner Rakesh Ola told PTI.

A ventilator in the hospital's NICU, which houses premature and critically ill babies, caught fire at around 3.15 am, he said.

After the incident, a large crowd gathered at the hospital, with parents of children admitted to the NICU blaming the administration for the tragedy.

A man whose child was among those saved said security guards and nurses at the medical facility rushed to the spot after the fire broke out and helped rescue the babies.

Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, who is also Amravati's guardian minister, said he has ordered a comprehensive inquiry into the incident and assured that those injured were receiving all necessary medical assistance.

Leaders of Opposition parties demanded stringent action against those responsible for the negligence, along with fire and electrical audits of hospitals across the state.

The NICU has three compartments: one each for inborn and outborn babies, and one for step‑down care for children ready to be discharged, Ola said, adding that 39 infants were admitted across the three sections.

A ventilator in the outborn babies' compartment caught fire. Three of the newborns there died, while the other six babies were rescued, the official said.

Another official said six infants have been admitted to a super speciality hospital.

After the blaze erupted, the hospital staff on duty rushed to the spot and safely evacuated the other children, Bawankule said in a post on X.

The bodies were sent for postmortem. The rescued infants were shifted to other hospitals.

Bawankule said the fire broke out around 4 am at the special newborn care unit in the new building of the District Women's Hospital, where premature, low-weight and critically ill newborns were undergoing treatment.

Some infants were shifted to the Divisional Referral Services Hospital for further treatment. Four children were undergoing treatment there, with one reported to be in a critical condition, Bawankule said.

Fire personnel and the PWD's electrical wing have been informed, and they will find out the cause of the fire, Ola said.

Bawankule said he was deeply distressed by the deaths and assured the families that the government would extend all necessary assistance.

"I am deeply saddened by today's incident in Amravati. My heart is heavy," he said.

"The government stands with the relatives of the deceased children and the government and administration are providing all possible help," he stated.

The minister further said he had discussed the incident with officials concerned and the administration was keeping a close watch on the situation.

Senior NCP (SP) leader and former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh said the state government must take strict action against those responsible for the negligence.

He demanded immediate fire and electrical audits of hospitals across the state.

"Today, a mountain of sorrow has crashed down upon the parents of these children, and we all stand in solidarity with them in their grief," the leader from the Opposition party said in a post on X.