Lucknow: Fire accident at Veerangana Jhalkari Bai child and women hospital

Of 10 newborns, two were on incubators, while eight were being provided different intensive care therapies. A pre-mature newborn whose condition was serious was shifted to King George's Medical University. "Rest nine are under observation and stable," officials later told reporters. A visibly terrified Chandravati, mother of a newborn, said "It was frightening. I kept praying all through the incident."

The cause of the fire as per the initial investigations of the police has revealed that fire started at 9pm because of a short circuit at the store on the first floor of the hospital. Only within next 15 minutes it spread to neo-natal ICU creating a panic situation.

A chaotic situation followed at the hospital as people rushed after wards and rooms were filled with smoke. In the interim, the power supply also got disconnected.