By Charles Salve
In a horrific tragedy, 10 newborn babies died after a fire broke out at the neo-natal care ward of the district general hospital at Bhandara in eastern Maharashtra in the early hours of Saturday. The staff managed to rescue seven of the 17 babies in the ward. Experts from the National Fire Service College (NFSC) and the Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VINT) in Nagpur will investigate the incident.
While the cause was suspected to be a short circuit or a malfunctioning air-conditioning unit and the state government ordered a probe by fire experts, a BJP leader alleged that there were complaints about power fluctuations in the ward but no action was taken.
Health Minister Rajesh Tope said that a six-member committee headed by the director, Health, Sadhana Tayade will conduct an inquiry and submit a report in three days.
Those responsible shall not be spared, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said. A fire audit of all the hospitals in the state has been ordered, he informed.
Calling the incident "heart-wrenching and mind-numbing", Thackeray announced an aid of Rs 5 lakh for family members of deceased babies.
The deceased infants -- eight girls and two boys -- were aged between one month and three months, and most of them were admitted to the ward for being underweight, a doctor said.
One of the deceased baby boys had been found abandoned in a remote area of the district and admitted to the hospital last week. In a cruel twist of fate, the child became the victim of the fire.
Minister Tope told reporters that three of the 10 infants died of burn injuries while seven others died of suffocation caused by smoke.
According to doctors, the blaze erupted in the Special Newborn Care Unit of the hospital around 1.30 am.
District civil surgeon Pramod Khandate said that a nurse noticed smoke coming out from the neo-natal section -- which needs continuous oxygen supply -- and alerted doctors and other staff who rushed there and tried to douse flames with fire extinguishers before the fire brigade arrived.
They managed to rescue seven children from the smoke-filled ward but 10 others perished in the tragedy, he said. The cause of the fire in the four-storey building is yet to be ascertained but could be short circuit, he added.
Shubhangi Sathavne and Smita Ambilduke, the two nurses who were on night duty, said that they heard explosion-like sounds in the neo-natal ward.
"When we rushed inside, smoke entered our nose and eyes. We could not see anything but heard glass shattering. We raised alarm and with the help of security guards and fire brigade staff, rescued seven of the children," they said.
"The government has ordered a high-level probe to find out if a short circuit or the air conditioner malfunctioning was the reason," said state home minister Anil Deshmukh. Experts of National Fire Service College and the Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology will conduct an investigation, he said.
Former Maharashtra energy minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule of the BJP claimed that relatives of the infants had complained about power fluctuations in the ward last week.
"The relatives had asked the hospital staff to check electric switches and all, but apparently no action was taken," Bawankule told PTI.
He also alleged that the hospital didn't have proper fire safety equipment, and a proposal to purchase fire safety equipment worth more than Rs 1 crore sent to the health department was pending approval.
Photographs from the ward showed blackened walls, floor thick with ash, and charred furniture.
"We had not even named our daughter and now we have got her burnt dead body," said one of the parents, Vishwanath Behere, a labourer, as his wife sobbed.
Another parent, 28-year-old Vandana Shedam, said she was staying in the hospital as her seven-day-old daughter was admitted to the neo-natal ward for being underweight.
"We came to know about the fire around 2 am but had no idea of the condition of my baby till 8 in the morning. Then they put her burnt body before me," she said, weeping.
The tragedy evoked condolences from President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and others.
Heart-wrenching tragedy in Bhandara, Maharashtra, where we have lost precious young lives. My thoughts are with all the bereaved families. I hope the injured recover as early as possible.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 9, 2021
In his tweet posted in Hindi, President Kovind said, "I am deeply saddened by the untimely death of infants in a fire accident in Bhandara, Maharashtra. My heartfelt condolences to the families who lost their children in this heart-wrenching event."
महाराष्ट्र के भंडारा में हुए अग्नि हादसे में शिशुओं की असामयिक मृत्यु से मुझे गहरा दुख हुआ है। इस ह्रदय विदारक घटना में अपनी संतानों को खोने वाले परिवारों के प्रति मेरी हार्दिक संवेदना।
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) January 9, 2021
Rahul Gandhi appealed to the Maharashtra government to provide all possible assistance to the families of the deceased and the injured. The Congress is a constituent in the Shiv Sena-led state government. Terming the death of the infants a "very painful" incident, former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis demanded a thorough probe.
The unfortunate incident of fire at Bhandara District General Hospital in Maharashtra is extremely tragic.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) January 9, 2021
My condolences to the families of the children who lost their lives.
I appeal to Maha Govt to provide every possible assistance to the families of the injured & deceased.
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant also tweeted on the incident.
Deeply pained by the terrible incident at Bhandara, Maharashtra resulting in loss of young lives. My thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families in this hour of distress. May God give courage to the families to bear this irreparable loss.
— Dr. Pramod Sawant (@DrPramodPSawant) January 9, 2021
Minister Anil Deshmukh on Saturday said that the cause of the fire incident at the Bhandara district hospital in which 10 infants died will be investigated by experts from the National Fire Service College (NFSC) and the VINT in Nagpur.
Speaking to reporters in Nagpur, Deshmukh described the fire incident as unfortunate and heart-wrenching.
"The government has ordered a high-level probe to find out if a short circuit or the air conditioner malfunctioning was the reason. Experts of NFSC and the Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology (VNIT) will conduct investigation. It will also be probed whether the fire audit was conducted at the hospital. The guilty will not be spared. The strictest possible action will be taken against the culprits," he said.