At least 10 newborns have died in a fire at a hospital in northern India after a fire broke out in the neonatal ward.
Hospital staff in the town of Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh state were able to break in and rescue 44 infants, but at least 16 of them are in critical condition, authorities said .
Friday evening's fire at Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College Hospital was blamed on an electrical fault.
Footage from the scene showed distressed parents outside the hospital.
Indian media reported that the fire first broke out in the intensive care unit of the infant ward around 10:30 p.m. local time (1700 GMT).
Local authorities believe an electrical short or other fault in a machine used to increase the oxygen level in the room started the fire.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted a message online calling the deaths “heartbreaking.”
“My deepest condolences to those who lost their innocent children. I pray to God to give them the strength to bear this immense loss,” he wrote.
Uttar Pradesh state government officials told reporters on Saturday that three bodies had not yet been identified.
State Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak said a security review of the state hospital was conducted in February and a fire drill was conducted in June.
State officials announced compensation of 500,000 rupees (£4,600; $5,900) for bereaved families.
This is the second large-scale hospital fire in India in six months in which newborns have been killed. In May, six babies were killed in a fire at a private neonatal facility in Delhi.
