As Jhansi Medical College fire guts newborns, Bereaved Families struggle to identify their deceased children

Lucknow: In a tragic incident, 10 newborns died and 16 got injured and are undergoing treatment after a massive fire broke out at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Jhansi Medical College in Uttar Pradesh. Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak launched a multi-level investigation into the incident.  As the victims were mostly newborns, grief stricken parents have another burden to face- to attempt to identify their deceased children

According to hospital officials, there were 54 infants admitted to the NICU ward. Among them, 16 injured infant survivors are currently battling for life while 28 are safe. A postmortem is underway to confirm the identifies of the deceased infants. 

Videos of the incident went viral on social media, showcasing the panic among the staff at the scene and the attempts to rescue the newborns from the fire. The footage shows staff members rushing to bring the infants to safety. 

Also read- 7 Newborns dead, 5 Injured: What Went Wrong in Delhi's Neonatal Hospital that Caught Fire?

According to media reports, the incident occurred after a fire broke out inside the Oxygen concentrator around 10.45 p.m. on Friday, possibly due to an electrical short circuit. Efforts to douse the fire were made, but since the room was highly oxygenated, the fire spread quickly. Following this, six fire brigades rushed to the spot to control the blaze, while senior district officers also reached the medical college. 

District Magistrate (DM) Avinash Kumar told PTI "The children who were in the outer part of the NICU were rescued, along with some of those who were in the interior part. Those less critical are admitted in the outer section of the NICU while the more critical patients are kept in the interior part.

As per TOI news report, the safety alarms at the hospital are reported to have failed to activate, after which the newborns' evacuation was delayed. 

Commenting on the incident, UP Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak who reached here to supervise the situation told India Today, "10 newborns have died, 7 have been identified, 3 are yet to be identified. if required DNA test will be conducted...prima facie it appears to be a short circuit inside the oxygen concentrator...we will establish a helpline number for the missing newborns...I am monitoring the situation myself and we are with the affected families."

Government order probe

Taking note of the tragic incident, Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak said that a high-level investigation has been ordered to probe the incident and the report has been asked to be submitted within 24 hours. 

Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Pathak assured strict action against whoever was responsible for the incident as he extended the state government's support to the families of the deceased infants.

"The death of the newborns is very unfortunate. Along with the family members, we are trying to identify the bodies of newborns. The first probe will be done at the administrative level which the health department will do, the Police administration will conduct the second probe...fire department team will also be a part of it, third, instructions have been given for the magisterial probe as well. The cause of the fire will be probed," Pathak told ANI. 

"If any lapses are found, those who would be responsible, strict action will be taken against them and no one will be spared. The govt is with the family members of the children," he said. 

Speaking to ANI, Chief Medical Superintendent Sachin Mahor said, "There were 54 babies admitted in the NICU ward. Suddenly a fire broke out inside the Oxygen concentrator, efforts to douse the fire were done but since the room was highly oxygenated, the fire spread quickly. Many babies were rescued. 10 babies have died, and injured babies are undergoing treatment."

Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath has taken cognisance of the incident and directed the district administration to expedite the relief work.

In a post on X, CM Yogi also offered condolences to the families of the deceased infants. "The death of children in an accident that occurred in the NICU of the medical college located in Jhansi district is extremely sad and heartbreaking. The district administration and concerned officials have been instructed to speed up the relief and rescue operations," CM Yogi said on X.

Financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh

Hours after the fire was doused at the medical college, the Uttar Pradesh government announced financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh each to the parents of the deceased today. 

A statement issued by the Uttar Pradesh government said Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has expressed deep grief over the incident that took place in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Jhansi Medical College.

“On the instructions of the chief minister, an assistance of Rs 5 lakh each is being provided to the parents of the newborn babies, who died untimely in the incident, and Rs 50,000 each to the family members of the injured from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund,” the statement said.

As soon as the information about the incident was received late Friday night, the chief minister sent Deputy Chief Minister Brijesh Pathak and Principal Secretary Health to the spot overnight, the statement added.

The chief minister kept getting information from the spot every moment throughout the night. He also kept an eye on the TV, the statement said. The chief minister has directed the Divisional Commissioner and DIG of Jhansi to submit a report regarding the incident within 12 hours, the statement added.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday condoled the death of children in a fire and announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased.

“Heartbreaking! The fire accident at Jhansi Medical College in Uttar Pradesh is heart-wrenching. My deepest condolences to those who lost their innocent children in this. I pray to God to give them the strength to bear this immense loss,” Modi was quoted as saying in a post in Hindi on X by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

“The local administration, under the supervision of the state government, is making every possible effort for relief and rescue,” he said.

In another post, the PMO said Prime Minister Modi has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund for the next of kin of each deceased in the mishap in the fire accident at the Jhansi Medical College in Uttar Pradesh. The injured would be given Rs 50,000, the PMO said.

Bereaved Families struggle to identify their deceased children 

Sen, a resident of Narayan Bagh in Jhansi, is the aunt of a baby who was in the NICU at the time of the fire. She has been searching for answers ever since the incident. "It is being said my child is dead, but no one has told me on what basis," she said, adding, "After the fire, they were saying, 'Go in and take your children.' But by then, many of the children had already died in the fire."

Speaking to ANI, Rani further questioned the identification process used by the hospital. "They say it's based on the tags on the children. If the identification is based on tags, what about the child I found, who had no tag? I admitted that child under my name to Dr Kuldeep Trivedi's care in the ICU, and he is safe now. But that child is not mine. I informed them of this as well."

Sen then demanded proof of her baby's death and called for DNA tests to identify the victims. "If I hadn't told them I had someone else's child, would they even know it wasn't mine?" she inquired.

She also recounted how the hospital had previously denied her access to her child, citing concerns about potential infection. "For 3-4 days, my child was admitted there. They never allowed us to see the child or go inside. They kept saying the child might get an infection. And now they've declared my child dead. How can I believe this?" she asked.

Sen urged the authorities to bring all surviving children together for identification. "All the children in Jhansi's hospitals should be brought in, and parents should be allowed to identify their own children. If anyone can't identify their child, then a DNA test should be done," she said.

Another mother from Parsaha village in Mahoba district, is still searching for her 10-day-old baby who was in the NICU. She described the panic and helplessness she felt during the fire.

"I don't know where my child is. When the fire broke out, I couldn't go inside to rescue my baby. How could I? When no one was able to get inside, how could anyone hand me my baby? Everyone was running around in panic," she told ANI.

She added, "There were so many babies inside when the fire broke out, and it seems the babies didn't survive. Some babies couldn't be rescued. It's unclear if they were burned or saved. No one knows what happened to the children. This was my first baby."

She also said the hospital had not allowed her to see her child before the fire. "No, they didn't show me my child. I went there, but nothing happened. After the fire, I couldn't even look for my baby properly. I searched, but I didn't find him," she said.

A grandmother from Rajgarh, whose 20-25-day-old grandchild was in the NICU, described the chaos during the fire. "My child was in the ICU, and as soon as the fire broke out, everyone rushed. The nurses were pushing people out, not allowing anyone to go inside. When people somehow managed to get inside, whoever could grab a child did so. Some broke in through the windows. My child hasn't been found yet," she said.

Another grieving mother resident of Lalitpur shared her ordeal. The mother said, "Our newborn was admitted here for one month. Yesterday there was an operation, and after that, the baby was admitted there (NICU)."

She further stated, "Around 10 PM, the fire broke out. We rushed to take out the baby, but we were stopped. Later, we couldn't find the baby though we looked for a long time. Eventually, we were told that the baby died in the fire."

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