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Ammon News - Ten newborn babies have died after a fire broke out at the neonatal unit of a hospital in northern India, with another 16 clinging to life.

The fire broke out late on Friday at the Maharani Lakshmibai Medical College in Jhansi, in the state of Uttar Pradesh, 450km (280 miles) south of Delhi.

Footage from the scene showed charred beds and walls inside the ward as a crowd of anguished families waited outside.

Officials said the blaze spread quickly through the ward, where 55 infants were being treated. Babies rescued from the fire, all only days old, were laid side by side on a bed elsewhere in the hospital as hospital staff hooked up their arms to intravenous drips.

“Ten infants have sadly died,” the state’s deputy chief minister, Brajesh Pathak, told reporters.

“Seven bodies have been identified. Three bodies haven’t been identified as yet.”

Another 16 infants were in critical condition after the blaze, news outlet Times Now reported.

Pathak said a safety audit of the hospital was carried out in February, followed by a fire drill three months later.

“The cause of the fire will be probed,” he added. “If any lapses are found, strict action will be taken against those responsible and no one will be spared.”

District official Avinash Kumar said the fire had been caused by an electrical short circuit in the unit.

The Guardian