In the Indian state of Maharashtra, ten babies died in a maternity ward when fire blazed through a hospital on Saturday.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called this incident ‘heart wrenching’. In a post on Twitter he said, “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.”
According to reports, the victims of the fire were all aged between a few days and up to three months. The smoke from the fire led to suffocation although the cause of the incident is still unknown.
“As I have been told, a short circuit caused the fire. The staff – nurses, ward boys – saved seven babies. Seven newborns died due to suffocation, and three others died due to the blaze,” Maharashtra’s Cabinet Minister, Rajesh Tope stated.
